


That Time My Crush Asked Me To Make A Love Potion!

by PeppyLongStocking



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Knows, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Eventual Full Reveal, F/M, Falling In Love, Fantasy, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Good Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Happy Ending, Love Potion/Spell, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Knows, Misunderstandings, Secret Identity, Strangers to Lovers, Witch!Marinette, Xenophobia, fairy!Plagg, fairy!Tikki, knight!Adrien, one-sided reveal, warlock!Gabriel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 24,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27289924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeppyLongStocking/pseuds/PeppyLongStocking
Summary: Marinette is a witch whose crush ended in heartbreak when the object of her affection (the Noble Knight Adrien) came to request a love potion from her.With no other choice, she agreed to work with the knight to procure the ingredients and use the opportunity to get to know him. Her only wish is for their remaining days together to last a bit longer."I'll be happy if I can occupy even a little part of your memory in the end."Inspired by "Hello, I am a Witch and my Crush Wants me to Make a Love Potion!"
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 238
Kudos: 321





	1. The Witch Who Lives In The Forest

People often called her Ladybug because of her bright red cloak with blotches and tatter holes that were like ladybug’s spots. It was also because she was affiliated with luck and love, most notoriously known for her love potions by aristocrats who can afford it. No one knew her real name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. A young witch who lives deep in the forest at the outskirts of the city own by the kingdom

Living as a witch was a relatively calm and uneventful life, one she appreciates. The scenery was beautiful and peaceful. The air was crisps and clean. No one disturbs her. Albeit, the customers who do visit range from the strange to the interesting. Typically, they came for cures for the aches and pains, elixirs to heal from disease, remedies for rash and creams to increase one's beauty, or to increase fertilization in a garden.

Then there are those people who come for the exotic things like potions to forget a bad memory, a brew to become invisible or invulnerable for assassination, a concoction that transforms you into an animal for runaways, and the notorious love potion to name a few. Those types of people are ones to be wary of. Fortunately, these potions are the most costly and time-consuming to make, so it does discourage the bulk of the people who come and ask for them. Unfortunately, that leaves the aristocrats and the most persistence left, but this was the only way witches can make a living. She didn't have a choice.

One other drawback of being a witch is people feel unease and distrust witches. Some people fear and hate them, and those two things together make people do stupid things. Naturally, people will fear the unknown and unusual. Witches fall under both categories.

So, whenever Marinette visited the city, she made sure to dress in maiden clothes and leave behind her favorite bright red cloak.

It still did not make the journey any easier or pleasant. Marinette was unfamiliar with the common folks and rarely walked through the cobbled streets in the city. Having an unfamiliar face made people wary, cautious, and suspicious. Thus, completing her errands much longer than it needs to be. She also got easily lost among the colorful crowds and shops. No one was willing to help her with directions.

Her grand-mère Gina would normally accompany her, but today is the first day she did not. She had passed away not long ago, along with her maman and papa who has been gone since she was very little.

Gina never told her what exactly happened to her parents, but Marinette suspected it somehow relates to how people poorly view witches. This only strengthened the importance of keeping her identity a secret and powers hidden.

Now, Marinette only occupies the small wooden cabin in the deep forest. She continued her family business to make ends meet.

Marinette spotted a place to rest her feet and walked towards the small tavern. She settled down and watched the citizens of the kingdom mingle as she waited for her order to be delivered.

"Did you hear? The witch is dead."

Marinette flinched at those gleefully words from a patron. She didn't dare move in case she accidentally revealed herself eavesdropping in their conversation.

The friend of the patron, Marinette guessed, spoked next. She sounded equally happy at the passing of a witch.

"Befana?"

It was her grand-mère’s alias name.

"About time! She creeps me out." Another cheered. Marinette estimated there were three people in total. They were gossiping like old wives. Instead, these were young ladies about her age who have nothing else to do. One even laughed.

"Didn't she deliver presents to kids? That's weird!" [1]

Gina loves children and they loved her too. Those children were poor who couldn't afford gifts for Christmas. 

"I swear, I thought she would never die. I think she was over 200 years old."

Her family has lived in the same area for centuries. They were probably talking about her great-grand-mère.

"And didn't she dress ridiculously?! Pointy hats and shroud black cloaks. Also, who rides a broom? At night no less."

Funny enough, witches don't wear pointy hats or ride brooms, nor do they live long lives. Those were just silly rumors made up to scare misbehaving children. They are normal people who have an aptitude for magic and work hard cultivating them. It takes years to learn even the simplest of potions. Marinette felt insulted.

They have warlocks who work and are respected by the kingdom. How are witches even less than them?

But as much as she would like to correct and scream at them, she cannot make a scene. If she wants to continue a quiet life like her grand-mère and her manma before her then she needs to keep quiet and swallow the cruel words from the locals.

Marinette cast her eyes down and folded her hands tightly in her lap. She never liked coming to the city, but how else would she get her fabrics and groceries. She could live off the plants in the woods, but those were for potion-making. They are hard to grow, not to mention the majority are not edible.

She flinched when someone angrily smashed their glass cup down on a table beside her.

Marinette tentatively glanced to her right side, curiously of her neighbor's outburst. He was blond, handsome, and dressed in fine clothes, which meant he was well off and likely a noble. A sword lay beside his waist, indicating to her that he was versed in swordsmanship. Not many people carry them in the open. Leaving a sword out is asking for a challenge.

The tavern went completely silent under the young noble's action. The air was thick with tension.

"I pity you for finding joy in someone else’s death. Would you have wished the same thing for your own mère or sœur?" He said to the quiet room.

The girls looked ashamed, except for one.

“Hey, for your information, the one who died is a witch y’know?”

“So what? Witches are people too, aren’t they?” He countered.

The remark left them speechless.

“Has the witch done anything bad to you?” He asked.

“Well, no…” The girl trailed off, losing her earlier bravo.

“So who’s the bad one here then? Is it the old woman who helps the locals from disease and plague—or someone who’s grateful because of another’s death? She’s known for being a good witch. The least someone could do is not insult her in her grave.”

The man dropped some coins and rose from his chair. As he stands, his cloak flutters behind him. An intricate crest from his house was on his back. Many people gasp once they recognize it.

"He's an Agreste!"

"That must be the young Adrien Agreste! Son of the famous warlock in this area."

"I heard Adrien was recently appointed to be a royal knight because he has no affinity for magic, but his swordsmanship is remarkable."

"His cousin Félix has lots of talents too. Magic to be precise. Recently, he got promoted by the kingdom for his assistance in the war. He will be taking over the Agreste faction as a reward."

The chatter continued relentlessly.

The girls from earlier immediately went to apologize to Adrien.

"We are sorry for our behavior, Monsieur."

"We did not mean to disrespect."

"Please forgive us."

The scene was a stark contrast to how they acted minutes before.

Adrien acknowledged them.

"Just be humble with your words. You don't want to go spreading rumors and gossip that aren't true." He bid them farewell, as one politely does as a gentleman. He was far too kind and forgiving.

The young noble knight stroll passed Marinette's seat. After a closer look at him, she realized he was around her age.

In that instance, their eyes cross. Her blue eyes clash with his green eyes. They reminded her of a summer meadow.

She’s fumbling, thinking to say thank you—or anything to him. But he walked off before she could. To him, she was probably like any other townsfolk. Of course, he wouldn't pay much attention to her.

Despite that, she continued to stare at his back. He grew fainter in the distance before disappearing completely behind closed doors.

“Adrien Agreste…” As she muttered his name, her heart tightened.

That day, Marinette fell in love—

—a one-sided love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author Note** :
> 
> Maman = Mom
> 
> Papa = Dad
> 
> Grand-mère (shorten form is Mamie or Mémé) = Grandmother
> 
> Mère = Mother
> 
> Sœur = Sister
> 
> Monsieur = Mister/Sir
> 
> Link to picture post: <https://peppylongstocking.tumblr.com/post/633440842125819904/ao-httpsarchiveofourownorgworks27289924>
> 
> **Explanatory Notes** :
> 
> [1] Befana = An old woman who delivers gifts to children who are good and coal if they are bad on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5), similar to St. Nicholas or Santa Claus. This is also based on Gina's Akuma form.


	2. My Silly Love Story

Marinette's heart was still hooked onto Adrien Agreste years later. They have not seen each other since the incident at the tavern, but she could never forget his glowing blond hair, handsome face, nor his striking green eyes.

So, she knew the man in front of her dressed in black and adoring a cat mask was none other than Adrien Agreste. Even if he introduced himself as Chat Noir, grew a head taller, and has a stocker built now. There was no mistake.

The cat man took a moment to admire the dry plants hanging down from her ceiling and ogle at the many different potion vials and jars on her shelves.

"Excuse me, are you Ladybug?" He asked.

Her heart leaped.

"Um… Y-yes, I am," Marinette answered as she lowered her head. Her blue eyes shyly looked up to his beautiful green ones, but he didn't notice because her big red tattered cloak obscured her youthful face and dark hair.

"I want to buy a love potion," he declared.

Those seven words shattered her pink-tinted world and doused it with cold truth.

The four-year-long crush that she cultivated was reduced to a smolder by a few words. It hurt so much. The pain in her heart felt like needle prickles, but she came to realize how foolish it was to think such a relationship would work between them. He didn’t know her. She barely knew him.

Marinette should accept they live in a separate world. A noble knight and infamous witch would never work or be accepted in society. Even if she was tempted to create a love potion for herself, those stories never ended well. Furthermore, she wasn't the sort of person who would exploit people's feelings. 

It is for the sake of procuring such a notorious item that drives people to make their way to her. She just hadn't expected someone like Adrien Agreste; kind, refined, and gentleman, would reduce himself to their level and come to a decrepit place like this.

Marinette supposed it was better to know less about the customer. Their reasons for requesting these potions were not always good. It keeps her from feeling guilty once she hears the full story.

Adrien’s disguise was also not unusual. Aristocrats prefer to keep themselves anonymous. They didn't want to be seen associating or collaborating with a witch. Their reputation and social status would be damaged or pulled down. Coming here was considered disgraceful; if not, entirely condemnable.

But Marinette couldn't help wonder. What would drive someone like him, who has beauty, power, and money, to request a love potion? Was it a lack of confidence? Was the love of his life engaged with another man? Did she not return his feelings?

It was hard to keep up with the latest news when you lived in a deep forest.

"You can help, right?" Chat Noir asked rather nervously. He awkwardly scratched his neck, looking out of place in her small cabin. He was far too cute and pure for his own good. Maybe one of the innocent and naive customers she had in a long time.

Her mind refocused on their conversation.

She gave a heavy sigh. Her voice took a business tone.

"We are out of stock." Marinette addressed the problem, which isn't one because she never restocked the love potion. It wasn't technically a lie.

His head tilted to the side, seemingly of its own accord.

"But you can make more, right?"

“I-it’s very expensive.” She staggered at her next excuse.

“I’ll pay whatever the price,” he shot her down. "I can afford it, so don't worry."

“And it’s also going to take a lot of time…” She tried, a little annoyed by his persistence.

At this, Chat Noir pondered a bit. He probably needed the potion as soon as possible like most people who come to her do.

"Hmm… then let me help collect the ingredients."

They lapse into silence.

"... P-pardon?" Marinette wanted to think she misheard him.

"Let me help collect the ingredients,” Chat Noir repeated again. It seemed he had already decided for himself that this was the best course of action for them. “It'll be quicker working together."

“Erm, uh, yeah…" Marinette had no way to disagree. She was disappointed her words didn't discourage him. From the way she kept stumbling and stuttering throughout their conversation, she wouldn’t be surprised if he thought of her as socially awkward. 

"You don't have any more issues, correct?" He checked.

"No…." She drew slowly, hoping to think of another reason. Yet, however long she tried thinking up one, no excuse came to her.

"Great!" He beamed.

She felt drained and cursed him for looking attractive at that moment.

"There's one thing you should know." Marinette interrupted him from his little celebration. She was surprised by how carefree and childish he acted as opposed to the serious knight she met back when he defended her family's honor at the tavern years ago. "It is impossible to replicate true love. The potion can only imitate the feeling since love is an emotional cognitive process that's based on experiences and memories. It will stimulate the part of our brains that increases our feelings of longing and attraction. Therefore, this potion will only last for as long as the concoction is in their system, which is just a day. Moreover, the intended target will have no freewill after ingesting it."

"I understand," Chat Noir gave a short nod and frown. 

Her warning had at least reached across. 

“I still want the love potion,” he said. There was a certain plea in his voice that would make anyone who heard it feel sorry for him. 

Marinette felt her last resolve break. How can she refuse his request?


	3. Daytime Meeting

Marinette was able to kick Chat Noir out of her home after promising him that they would discuss the logistics of their contract the next time they meet. She had to also explain to him that it had been a long time since a love potion was made and she needed time to brush up on her notes before he finally agreed to leave.

Nighttime was a magical time for witches and warlocks alike. It is when mysterious and peculiar creatures would come out and lurk. When the imaginable becomes possible. It was also the hours her customers came to visit her quaint home. Therefore, during the day she spent her time completing chores and tending the garden. No one ever bothered her during this period. She was confident with this fact like how one knows that the sun will always rise after a long dark night or that the seasons will always change.

Today happened to be a nice and bright sunny day. The perfect condition to do laundry and clean out the old cabin. By the late afternoon, she had accomplished both tasks. The clothes were hung out to dry. The windows were left open to air out the cleaning solution she used to get rid of bugs and mold. There was even some spare time to start researching about the love potion. With all the progress she made, Marinette decided to take an opportunity to relax and bathe in the lake beside the cabin.

Nothing could possibly ruin her day. Nothing except for a man masquerading as a black cat that is.

“Ladybug?” A familiar voice called out.

At that exact moment, she was rinsing soap suds out from her long dark hair. The lake water came up to her knees. Cool air blew across her bare back.

Her immediate action upon seeing Chat Noir there beside her tiny cabin was to shriek. 

“Gahhh!” 

Marinette drove herself into the lake, hoping she could drown her mortification. However, she realized she didn’t really want to die and force herself back to the surface. She gasped for air.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir patiently waited or rather stood dumbfounded by her appearance and lack of clothes. 

“...Yeah, it’s me,” Marinette remorsefully answered. Completely and utterly horrified that he saw her butt nake. Only her nose came above the water surface. She crossed her chest with her arms to make sure nothing else showed and tried sinking deeper in the water. “C-can you… um maybe turn around? Please?”

Chat Noir blushed and complied, facing the blue sky.

“Uh, I-I-I thought you were supposed to be an old lady,” He gulped then had the audacity to ponder. “Is t-this some kind of youthful magic?”

“Not all witches are old, mind you!” Marinette cried out indignantly before thinking of changing the subject and directing their focus away from her. It was such a surreal experience. No one has ever seen Ladybug without her red cloak let alone undressed. “What are you even doing here, anyways? Most people would arrive late in the evening when there were fewer witnesses.”

The comment snapped Chat Noir out of his daze.

“It’s my break time,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I thought to drop by to see how your studying is going.”

“It’s only been less than a day, Chat.” Marinette deadpanned, unappreciated by his eagerness to help.

Chat Noir sheepishly laughed.

_Really? The protection and security of their kingdom lies on his shoulders. Had the people been wrong about him? Either way, they were doom._ Marinette bleakly thought.

“Would you believe me if I said I was excited?” He uttered.

Marinette wanted to scream. Somehow, she didn’t.

“Just… just stay there, so I can look decent,” she ordered.

Chat Noir dutifully waited and continued to watch the clouds go by.

“My _a-paw-llogies_ Ladybug,” he apologized after a long pause. 

Most people’s first thought would be that he had honestly felt bad and wanted to lighten the mood with a harmless joke. Instead, while raising up and collecting her clothes, all it did was make Marinette trip. She fell back in the water with a loud splash, having not expected him to pun. It was ridiculous and absurd. Something a foolish person would find funny.

To his credit, Chat didn’t turn around. He did wonder if she was okay though to which she assured him that she indeed was fine.

“It happens all the time. I’m just madly clumsy,” she affirmed with a damaged pride, much to her chagrin.

Somewhere along the line of lacking sleep and not caring, Marinette forgot that Chat Noir loved cat puns. He made it a mission to embed one in every discussion last night. She tried to remember the serious but kind Adrien Agreste she knew back when she was younger, but found she no longer can. It was like all repress silliness and mischief was unleashed when he was Chat Noir. Granted, the manners he learned growing up were still there. The strict upbringing of being a noble was not. She can’t say she understands the life of an aristocrat, but she guessed sometimes people like to be someone that they cannot be.

“You might as well come in and hear what I've found,” she sighed at her soaked clothes and droopy hair. A chill ran up her spine when a breeze blew passed them. It was a good thing she loved sewing and knitting. There were always extra clothes in her cabin to change into.


	4. The Secret of The Love Potion

“So… Ladybug is actually young and pretty,” Adrien awkwardly remarked, trying to make a light conversation while she changed into some dryer clothes. At the corner of his eyes, he saw the witch blushed at the compliment before clearing her throat and declaring she was decent again.

He turned around and noted that Ladybug took an effort of braiding her droopy and wet hair into pigtails to keep it away from her face. Because of their long length, the pigtails trail in front and down to her collarbones. Since he had seen her face, Ladybug opted out from hiding it beneath her famous red hood, likely seeing no point continuing the charade.

Now that Adrien has a chance to look at Ladybug carefully, she was rather attractive. Her blue eyes were clear. There was a dash of freckles on her button nose and cheeks. Under the light, her hair had a blue undertone that gave her an air of exoticness.

“Does my appearance really bother you?” She suddenly asked, looking anxious for the first time. Or maybe Ladybug had always felt that way. In any case, it was easier to see her emotions when her face was visible. 

His cheek darkened, embarrassed that he was caught staring.

“No no,” Adrien waved his hand and rushed to defend his chivalry. He still can't believe himself for missing her distinctive _young_ voice. “I thought I would make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

“I wonder how many times you use that pick-up line on girls.” One of Ladybug’s brows arched as if skeptical of his claims, which Adrien understands he deserved. Coming to a lady's cabin without announcing ahead of time wasn't the best idea or noblest thing Adrien ever had done, he knew and felt ashamed. 

“It’s true!” Adrien insisted, only to backpedal his words. “I mean, not the pick-up line. I just never thought I'd meet Ladybug face to face.”

A stretch of silence crossed between them, to a point where he thought he had offended her again. 

“Okay,” she relented. 

"Okay?" He echoed, confused by the young witch.

"Okay, I believe you." Ladybug nodded then became strangely docile, “And since you know my secret, you might as well know my real name...”

“What! Seriously?!” When Adrien decided to visit Ladybug today, he hadn’t expected this much revelation. His only thought was how he could help with the love potion and move it forward. “You have a name?”

Ladybug glared at him.

He winced, realizing how callous he'd sounded.

“I mean are you sure?” Adrien tried to save face, stepping back with a sheepish chuckle. If he could avoid getting kicked out again, he would. “Doesn’t it violate some witching code or rule?”

Instead of taking his ignorances as an offense, she rolled her eyes and cocked her hip.

“Now what are people saying about me? That I’ll melt when hit with water? Or that I eat children for dinner?” She said, clearly displeased.

“Nothing!” He saw his blunder, “No one is saying anything about you.”

Obviously, she didn’t believe him.

As if answering his prayers, the clock on her wall chimed and reminded them that they don’t have all day to play around. In retaliation, she blew a raspberry.

“Ladybug is the name that people gave me,” she started explaining before they lose any more time. “It is the same way how my grand-mère was called Befana, when her real name is Gina Dupain. Even folklore aimed at scaring children into good behavior was named after her."

Bitterness leaked into her voice.

"I think people call us different names to demonize us. It helps to cover a story and separate us from being normal people. In an ironic way, it also protects witches when people's fears turn to hate. You can't exactly chase after a ghost, right? I can hide under my real name." 

Still, Adrien found it depressing.

"It's been a long time since someone called my name," Ladybug continued, a little somber. "To be honest, I’m asking this out of selfishness of my heart. You see, I don’t want to forget the name my parents gave me. Talking to you reminded me how long I've been alone.”

He didn't know what to say.

“Marinette," she finally revealed. A smile graced her lips. "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Marinette,” he tested out and returned the smile. “It’s a very nice name.”

Suddenly, guilt began to seep into his heart. He averted his gaze for a moment.

“You don’t have to give me your real name,” Marinette said, almost like she had read his mind. Maybe witches have that ability too. “To be honest, I actually know who you are.”

Adrien froze at her confession.

“I won't ask why,” she assured him. “I got the feeling you are hiding your identity for a reason. I'm just putting it out there that I know since we will be working together closely, so no misgiving starts between us. No secrets.”

“...You are not wrong," he started quietly. A part of him wasn't sure where he wanted the conversation to go, but like most things he does when faced with uncertainty he follows his heart. "Since you trust me with your name, then I’ll trust you with one of my secrets.”

“It’s not the same thing,” Marinette frowned.

“I know. But just as you felt like sharing, I also feel like sharing a story too."

Adrien glanced out the window, which faced the crystal clear lake. The mid-day sun hung high and bathed the cabin with warmth. Birds sang without a care and branches from trees swayed in a mesmerizing dance. Marinette was lucky to live in such a peaceful place. Faraway from the hustle and bustle of a city, where politics matter and appearance was important.

A memory began to conjure up in his head.

"Having a famous father draws a lot of attention.”

“Because he is a warlock and the King’s most important aid,” she nodded and followed along. 

Adrien stared back, amazed. Marinette was smart, easily catching the meaning behind his words. You don't usually meet many people with good intuition. When you do, it was always a pleasant surprise.

“Yes," he quickly recovered. "I was born without magic, so I can’t carry on my house name. However, père still expects me to carry the duty of his son through other means. At first, Chat Noir was for my protection but this alter-ego started to grow on me. I feel liberated. I realize how suffocating my actual life can be.”

“It's to protect your reputation, I know. Frankly, all the nobles I met are like this.”

“Yeah, sorry," he meant it and hoped she understood. The society where he came from unfortunately cares only about one's status. "You probably think we are silly caring about appearances all the time. I don't mean to disrespect witches. I don’t see you any less of an individual, but people cannot see me visiting one. My père would be furious if it leaked out. I will need to keep up this charade.”

“I understand, Chat. I won't use your real name out of precaution.” Marinette folded her hands back and offered another smile to him. No hate behind it. “Anyways, let’s get to the point on why you are here.”

Marinette opened a floorboard and filtered through several papers until finally finding what she was searching for. She gestured to him to come closer, which he did and stood beside her. They both peer at the old parchment paper and plan their course of action.

After a long deliberation and some explanation, Chat Noir stared at her, maybe a bit too attentively. Being close to her stirred a deep memory in him.

“What?” Marinette got nervous by his silence. “Did you even hear what I just said?”

“...You remind me of someone,” he couldn't help blurt out. 

“I doubt it.” She laughed, brushing his words. It was such a nice laughter too.

“Hm…” He shrugged, deciding it wasn't worth pursuing the topic. A big grin tugged at his cheeks. “And for your information, I did listen to everything you said, Marinette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author Note** :
> 
> Père = Father
> 
> Grand-mère (shorten form is Mamie or Mémé) = Grandmother


	5. The Call To Adventure

All the ingredients you needed to make a love potion were items related to love. They were things you would hear in nursery rhymes, from superstitious people, or famous fairy tales and legends.

The plan was to collect them together whenever Adrien's schedule was free. During those downtimes, Marinette would work on blending and preparing the concoction. One good thing was they didn't have to start from scratch. Some ingredients for the love potion were already in her possession. This leaves the main ingredients, which would require to be procured fresh.

Originally, they had planned to divide the work. They were to collect each missing item separately. But after Marinette explained to him about the difficulty (and maybe dangerously?) of collecting even one of the ingredients, he suggested that they join forces and aid each other. This way, they’ll accomplish the task faster.

The first ingredient was a tear from a swan or a dove. Using birds to express the meaning of love didn't make sense to Adrien. Apparently, they were known as love birds. This is because these birds mate for many years, sometimes for life. They opted for the swan because Marinette offhandedly remarked that she often sees one in the lake beside her dwelling. It meant a colony was nearby.

“Did I ever tell you I’m allergic to birds?” Adrien, dressed in his typical Chat Noir disguise, complained to no one in particular. 

“No, but it’s a bit too late now.” The witch answered his bewail.

“Yeah… I know.” He sneezed again, one of many today.

“Hey, on the bright side we have our own bird detector, courtesy of you.” She poked fun of him, no doubt finding the situation hilarious.

“Ha ha, very funny,” he said in a flat voice.

She laughed at his unamused expression.

“I know. I like to think I’m a better comedian between the both of us,” Marinette quipped with a slight head tilt. 

"I'll be the judge of that," he jested back with a laugh.

Despite Marinette's jab at his humor, the ease of their banter was both fun and wonderful. Words flowed out of his mouth with no reservation. The knowledge that nothing said would be used against him was reassuring too.

Their pleasant moment together was interrupted by the sound of loud birds honking. 

Marinette and he focused on the two swans near the lake. One of them was grazing on the short-cropped grass. 

“So what’s the plan?” Adrien turned to Marinette for answers. “Because I can't exactly think of a way to make a bird cry.”

"Easy. With this potion." Said potion materialized in her hand. The light blue concoction slush and swirl in the glass bottle. "This is strong enough to make any man cry."

He gave her a judgemental stare.

In response, Marinette's smirk dropped. 

"What?" She asked, confused.

"We are going to make a beautiful creature cry by drugging it? An innocent and docile bird-"

"Hey!" She stopped him. "Don't make it sound worse than it really is. I already feel guilty. I am prepared to repent."

Adrien shook his head, acting disappointed.

"Just go and distract the swan's mate!" Marinette shoved him out of the bushes they were hiding behind, having enough of his antics.

"Yes, yes. If I had known it was going to be this, I think I might not have come." He joked, only to give out a loud sneeze.

Funny enough, that drew the attention of the birds. The male swan, Adrien was pretty sure, was guarding his female mate. It heckled at him as he approached closer to their nest. 

"Nice birdy... pretty birdy?" He cowered.

This was really an unfair battle. Not only did Adrien felt guilty, but he was also unarmed and was at a disadvantage. Another sneeze threatened to come out of him. His nose was stuffed up and he could hardly breathe from it. Maybe he should have offered to take care of drugging the female swan. In any case, it was too late to switch with Marinette. He had the male bird's full attention.

Evidently, swans care for their young hatchlings too. They would fiercely protect their babies even at a threat of someone larger. Because, before Adrien could make a move, the father of the hatchlings spread its wings and ran at him. It's dark little bitty eyes held no fear, which sort of frightened him.

Adrien could not harm the bird, so all he could do was defend himself from its well-timed attacks. Eventually, he learned to just let the bird chase him.

The mother of the hatchlings watched in mild interest at the comfort of her nest. However, not for very long.

Marinette popped out from her hiding place and pounced at the female swan. The baby birds scatter and chirp in the chaos, flopping on their side and tripping on their webbed feet.

She managed to catch and hold down the female swan. It honked and tried biting her with its tiny teeth.  _ Tiny teeth! _ Birds have teeth in their beaks. That was something Adrien also learned today while fending off the male swan.

Marinette managed to force the swan to gulp down the tear potion. Carefully, she reached in her pockets to get a vile to collect the clear droplets that fell from the swan's eyes.

They were ready to skedaddle now that they got their prize, which has been safely tucked away.

"I'm really sorry," she apologized to them while navigating around the baby birds that were still flapping about.

Just before leaving, Marinette tossed some treats like bread crumbs to the birds as compensation for their actions.

"Run Chat!" She screamed.

"I don't need to be told twice!" He said as he ran next to her. Trailing behind him was an angry swan.

The male swan was persistent. It didn't leave them alone until they were at the edge of the forest and out of breath.

"I guess I won't be returning home until later this evening." Marinette gasped and clutched her chest, "Hopefully, the phrase dumb as a bird would apply to the swans too and they forget I live next to them by then."

"Yeah, let's hope." Adrien agreed and rested his back against a large tree.

They look at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter. 

"I can't believe we did that!" He slapped his hand on his leg.

"I'm going to pay for this, aren't I?" Marinette groaned, realizing her mistake. "Karma always has its ways of correcting itself."

"Is that why you're always tripping and clumsy?" He slipped down to a crouch and looked at her. Magic was always a strange concept to him. More so when he had none. "Should I be concerned about what my lady is up to that would result in so much bad karma for her?"

His voice was lit with mirth.

"Maybe?" Marinette shrugged and giggled. "At least today's misadventure can be another notch of many stories to tell to my future kids."

"Oh, I would like to hear them!" He happily admitted without any tack. "They sound like fun."

Marinette rolled her eyes at him, but in an endearing way.

"As much as how happy I am to know that my misery can be someone else's entertainment," she sarcastically added. 

He flashed his pearl white teeth at the comment.

"Maybe another time, when you aren't in a rush," she finished.

To make the point clear, Marinette directed their gaze to the sky. The sun had indeed shifted slightly from where it had been half an hour ago. He had to return for knight duty at the palace.

"I guess you're right," he resigned and rose up. "But I still have some time to walk with you for a bit."

Like a gentleman, Adrien offered his hand out.

For a moment, she stared at it before taking the offer and stood back on her feet.

He may have stayed with Marinette a bit longer than necessary. The next time they met, he didn't bother mentioning to her that he got in trouble for being late.


	6. Goddess of Love And Beauty

The hardest ingredient to collect relies on perfect timing and conditions.

Marinette happened to have crushed scallop shells leftover from other potions making, but it was not enough to represent the Goddess of love and beauty; Aphrodite. Fortunately for them, the goddess's astrological planet was Venus. And for this week the yellow planet will be in the direct line of the moon’s orbit for her light to reflect back at it. 

It only happens when both celestial bodies are aligned. Earth was too far away to capture Venus's light otherwise.

However, the alignment doesn’t happen often and on rare occasions is the moon full and big enough to shine on the lake surface. The weather was also not cooperating with them. It had been cloudy for the past few days. The scarce times the moon peeked behind the cloud was only a few times and only for a few seconds. Today was their last night to try before Venus moved out from its orbit.

They have been sitting in the wooden boat, rowing in circles in the dark for the past hour every night hoping to catch the moment the sky cleared. As a result, Marinette had started getting used to the knight’s presence.

Back to back, Chat Noir and her watch the waters. The soft warm lights from her cabin in the distance were the only landmark against the darkness. This was because the nearest body of water was the lake beside her home.

The calm current of the lake lapping against the boat overtook the eeriness atmosphere. Odd creaks from their vessel occasionally punched the silence as they drift towards the lake's center.

"It looks like another cloudy night,” she remarked with a disappointing sigh.

“Any more good stories in the meantime?” Chat Noir asked. There was an unmistakable smile in his voice, even if Marinette couldn't see him. They have been passing the time by talking about mundane things and telling each other stories of their childhood. “I would very much like to hear all those misadventures as Ladybug you promised me."

She yielded and told him about some customer service horror stories, some complaints about being a witch, and about her hobbies she dabbled in on her downtime like sewing.

In return, he told her about his friends and life in the kingdom. At one point, he started gloating about how smart he was because of his father's studies and intense curriculum when he still thought Adrien was a late magic bloomer. Many of his talents included knowing different languages and playing music.

Girls seem to chase him too.

"Hm… " Marinette hummed in acknowledgment. "Popular. Dutifully noted," she joked.

Chat Noir laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. In fact, it sounded sad and bitter which was unexpected.

"I rather not be,” he admitted. “I don't like it when my name is dangled over my head. Living the high-life isn't what it cracks up to be, Marinette. Even royalty have their fair share of challenges." 

He started listing them off his fingers.

"Political marriage, awful parties, conspiring family members, and such. It's all about your social status. Being born into a noble family comes with a burden."

Marinette lay her head back. He was taller than her, so she was able to rest against his back comfortably. She let him talk his heart out. It sounded like there were a lot of emotions to offload.

"I've told you about my situation," Chat Noir began and dropped his arm to his lap. "The perfect image I have to keep and balance…"

Marinette listened.

"The thing is I think père hates me. The irony of being the strongest warlock in this area, only to bear a son that was magicless. Père was ashamed of me. The only way he would even acknowledge my existence now is through my accomplishments. I have to prove that I am worthy of his attention."

She mulled over his words.

"I cannot imagine your situation," Marinette began. "I don't even remember my papa. Even though your relationship with him isn’t a good one, you get to see your père every day. You have a chance to make it better in the future unlike me.”

She felt him stiffen at her admission, but his guilt hadn’t been her goal. She was trying to make a point.

“And is it possible your père is not all that bad? He spent money on your education and your future."

"I barely see him," he expressed his frustrations. "He avoids his only son!"

"He is a busy man working under a king,” she shrugged. “He could have sent you off to an orphanage or left you on the streets if he really hated you."

"Maybe he couldn't?"

"Or maybe there is a possibility that he cares? I think you are fortunate is all."

At last, Chat’s shoulders relaxed.

"Marinette, why are you so hard to argue with?" He groaned. However, she knew that wasn’t enough to fully convince him. Feelings cannot change in one night, not unless you involve magic. Maybe one day he will see it her way.

Marinette giggled regardless, turning her head to the side. She could only see the dark outline of his face.

Suddenly, the clouds lifted and their eyes connected. They both wore surprised faces, not expecting to be caught staring at the other. A long silence stretched between them until she remembered why they were here.

Marinette jumped up and drove towards the water's light. Her sudden action gently rocked their boat. The moon was only clear for a short window of time, so every second was precious.

She yelped and nearly fell in her rush, but a pair of arms deftly caught her before it happened.

Her red cloak billowed around her. Some of the fabric edges got caught in the lake's water and began soaking it up.

“I got it!” She cheered, victoriously. Ignoring her precarious predicament or the fact the world appeared upside down from her perspective.

“Yeah?!" Chat Noir yelled in exasperation. "And who do you think got you?”

"Thanks for catching me. You have some good reflexes." Marinette complimented him while dangling off the edge. She patted his leg to express her gratitude.

Chat Noir rolled his eyes at her. He finally pulled her up to his chest and settled her on her two feet.

The moon's light became shrouded by the clouds, blanketing the lake and them in complete darkness once again.

"You are crazy, y'know." He declared.

"But I got the light from Venus? See!" She gave him a peace offering, which basically was a vile of glowing liquid. It shined in her hand against the pitch dark and illuminated their faces. "We only had one chance."

"...and also amazing," he later corrected himself and chuckled at her lack of preservation.

It’s not like a dip in the lake would hurt anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author Note** :
> 
> Père = Father
> 
> Papa = Dad


	7. A Dash of Aphrodisiac

Marinette stood at her doorway with eyebrows raised at her visitor. The door of her home was held open, which unfortunately ushered in the cold night air. She shivered and brought her red cloak closer to her body.

"...You look exhausted," she noted Chat Noir's haggard appearance.

"I feel exhausted." He uttered, and let out a big yawn before stepping inside her home. "I've been busy these past days. Our kingdom's princess will marry soon. There is a lot of preparation and stuff even for a knight myself."

Marinette made a face at the mention of the princess Chloé Bourgeois, remembering she was spoiled and a snob. Or so the rumor goes. In all honesty, she never got the pleasure of meeting the royal. If they ever needed her potions, they would page a servant to handle the transaction which has happened several times in the past. They were one of Marinette's frequent customers.

Come to think of it, maybe she should feel some gratitude. After all, her job was stable because they kept ordering from her.

Without much thought, Chat Noir flopped onto a chair beside her small kitchen table. He buried his head into his arms.

"I don't have coffee, but I can brew some tea for you," she offered. Caffeine gives most people a temporary energy boost, especially when they are drowsy.

"No, I shouldn't. I have to return to the castle in the morning." He groaned. "Thank you anyway."

Marinette frowned, feeling guilty for robbing his precious sleep. She closed the door behind her and joined on the other side of the table.

At the sound of the chair scraping the floor, he propped his chin up. He lazily opened one eye and noticed for the first time the contents in front of him.

"What is all this?" He asked as he studied the sacks of bags and the different glass bowls on the table.

"Aphrodisiac increases desire and happiness to put it lightly,” she started opening each of the bags. “They are naturally found in alcohol and chocolate. These are cocoa beans."

Marinette held one up to him, which he curiously took and examined it.

“If they are prepared properly, they can be used to create chocolate,” she explained to him. “I’ve already specially treated and dried them under the sun, but some may not take the process well. I need your help sorting the magical ones from the normal.”

“How can you tell them apart?” He looked away from the bean in his hand and back at her.

“We have to take their shells off and mix them in a substance that will change their color from brown to gold. It is quite time-consuming, to be honest. And we need quite a lot of it too.”

Marinette demonstrated this by taking a bean from another sack and peeled its outer layer before ducking it in the clear solution in one of the glass bowls. After holding it against the lamp, she showed it to him.

“A dud,” she sighed and chuck it in an empty bowl. “I’m going to have so much chocolate at the end of this.”

Chat Noir blinked very slowly, trying to comprehend her words. His silence made her apprehensive. Usually, he would crack a joke or say something silly at this moment.

She bit her lips.

“You don’t have to help. You are obviously tired.”

"We are a team. I cannot leave it up all on you." He mimicked her actions from before with the cocoa bean she had given him earlier.

Marinette was touched by his kind words. Still, she pushed.

“Really, I can do them all on my own.” She started on another bean.

“I said I'll help,” he scrunched up his face and struggled to focus on the task at hand. His eyelids started to droop. “Although, I think I might stay awake if you keep talking to me.”

“What is there to talk about?” She pursed her lips together and threw another bean in the defect pile.

“Tell me more about yourself,” he suggested. “What was your family like?”

Her hand paused over the bag, slightly surprised by the question. No one ever asked her before, so where does one normally start.

Chat Noir saw her hesitation.

"You mentioned you have a papa and don’t remember him?" He prompted her.

"Yes." She nodded and resumed plucking the shells off a bean. The underside of her fingernails was caked with its brown powder.

"How about your mère?”

"I don’t remember her either. My grand-mère took me in when I was very little.”

"Then let’s talk about her? What were the fondest memories you had with your grand-mère?”

At this, Marinette smiled. Warmth filled her heart as she recalled and told him about Gina Dupain. She was a sweet and caring witch, who was ridiculously forgetful and got in more trouble than Marinette ever did because of her adventurous spirit. Marinette began recounting to him about the time her grand-mère got chased by a bear and befriended it.

When Marinette checked if he was listening, she found him face down on the table. To his credit, Chat Noir did a few beans before he nodded off to sleep. Sadly, all those beans were failures too.

Marinette leaned forward and watched him take in soft breaths. A serene expression was on his face even though she could only pick out half of it. He really appeared angelic with his blond hair and handsome face. Regrettably, she could not see his pretty green eyes anymore. 

She wanted to take his cat mask off, surely it must have felt uncomfortable to sleep in it. However, she found that it might breach his privacy, so left it alone.

Rain drizzled in the background. There was a light pour outside. The sound of gentle tip-taps on her roof was calming and peaceful. Having a warm fire flickering beside her put her mind at ease too. It crackled inside the lamp as she sat there admiring Chat Noir. She was really tempted to run her hands through his hair just to confirm if they were soft as they appeared, but swallow down the impulse. Instead, she got up and grabbed a blanket from the closet.

Marinette brought the blanket out and draped the wool over his shoulders.

"You're really nice, you know that?" He mumbled and stirred awake.

“Gah!” She screamed and jumped back. "I thought you were asleep!"

Chat Noir turned his head and peered up at her. A dopey smile was plastered on his face. Of course, he was too sleepy to make fun of her outburst.

"Sorry, let me close my eyes for a few seconds... Okay?" He asked groggily.

She relaxed and lowered her guard. 

Marinette nodded even though his eyes had already shut and couldn’t see her anymore.

"Goodnight Chat." 

She returned to her seat across from him and resumed sorting through the beans in silence.

Sometime in the middle of the night, she accidentally dozed off too. Staying up late was normal for a witch like herself, but working on the love potion has been tiring and tedious. Just like the knight, she didn't have much time to relax. There were always customers coming in and out with requests. It hasn't slowed down just because her main focus was on the love potion now.

"Sweet dream, Marinette," someone wished. The voice was gentle like a warm summer's day.

Marinette murmured some nonsense back to them, thinking she was dreaming that Chat Noir had said those words to her. She drifted deeper into slumber.

When she roused, it was late morning. Her mind was sluggish and neck sore from sleeping on the table last night, so she shifted to find a comfortable position. The blanket she used to cover Chat Noir slipped from her shoulders from the movement.

Disorientation and confusion struck her followed by understanding. Marinette rose up in alarm and began frantically looking for him. However, he was not there in his seat as she had expected. Then she remembered him saying about a morning shift.

Lost for words, she sank back into her seat. The only sounds were the birds and bugs chirping outside her window.

Marinette’s eyes caught a glint of a glass bowl. Her lips curve slightly, seeing it half-filled with magical beans. Adrien must have sorted them all while she slept.

“He really is like an angel,” she chuckled to herself, resting her chin on an open palm. Maybe she should thank him by making some chocolate treats. There were far too many leftovers for her to consume on her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author Note** :
> 
> Papa = Dad
> 
> Mère = Mother
> 
> Grand-mère (shorten form is Mamie or Mémé) = Grandmother


	8. The Forbidden Fruit

"I realize why you look familiar," Adrien—or Chat Noir, as he appears to her—suddenly proclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Ladybug, as her name was known by, cocked her head. Her real name is actually Marinette. "You see me nearly every day."

They were currently traveling to the location of the fourth ingredient, which was needed to make the love potion. 

The Garden of Eden.

The journey took them away from the city and out in the wilderness. No human or civilization could be seen for miles. Not even a worn-out dirt road. They have long ago stepped away from familiar trails and have been walking on one not traveled often. Endless green hills and blue sky stretched around them.

Few people knew the location of the sacred garden. It was said that Adam and Eve once lived there before a serpent seduced them into eating the forbidden fruit that God commanded humans not to eat. Once he found out, he cast them aside for disobeying him, or so the story goes. Because the story is just a legend that was weaved around a forbidden fruit. A fruit which she and he were after. 

It was a long trek to reach the Garden of Eden, taking a day to travel and another day to find the correct path. Technically, Chat didn't need to accompany her. Compared to their previous experiences with collecting ingredients, this task was simple. Harvest the fruits.

However, he refused to let her go alone. Even taking a few days off work. His reason, hooligans and bandits would try to attack her. She was a young lady, after all.

To which she argued that no one would ever try to rob a witch, but he paid no mind and arrived at her doorstep on the day of her departure.

Despite her initial resistance, deep down she was happy he came because it made the long travel much more enjoyable.

"Remember when I said you reminded me of someone?"

"Not really," she admitted.

He sulked.

"Okay, let's hear this theory of yours," Marinette said as she rolled her eyes. An amused smile played on her lips. "If you're right, I'll admit your puns are funny."

"My puns are funny!" Chat Noir gasped.

"They need a bit more work." Marinette hummed, unconvinced.

"Fine, it's a deal," he pouted then grinned. "Remember, you promise."

"And I never break them," she held one hand up and placed the other on her chest as a way to signal to him that she will keep her words. The gesture was all for show and fun. Nothing serious.

Regardless, Chat Noir was satisfied. But then his face changed. He wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, he let out a steady breath that sounded graved. 

"We've met before," he said with little grandiose that would normally be there as Chat Noir.

Marinette paused mid-step, caught completely unprepared. She didn't deny nor refute his words. It was true that they met before, but she didn't think he remembered after all these years nor sound so grim about it.

Chat Noir coughed to get her attention, and she looked at the man beside her.

"Should I continue?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck apprehensively.

Marinette mutely nodded, and they continued their walk.

"You once lived in the city," he began. "I remember because of what happened to your parents, Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng."

She frowned, not really following along. Weren't they going to talk about their meeting at the tavern? Where was all this coming from? The only memory Marinette had was after her grand-mère took her in, and they definitely lived in the forest and not the city. 

"That can't be right."

He probably misremembered. They might be another family with a similar last name as her. Normally, wives take their husband's last name, but Tom and Sabine didn't even share that. And yet Marinette could imagine waking up to the smell of bakery in the morning. Her maman and papa cover in sweat from stroking the oven's fire. They were living the dream of owning a place for themselves. They kindly greeted customers, strolled through the streets, and were just generally happy people. 

"I figured you'll say that since you didn't remember them, but it's true,” he insisted. “I checked the kingdom's archive when you first told me your name. Your last name had sounded familiar."

Marinette was speechless. Her feelings jumbled. Adrien would never joke about this, right? 

When he turned to her, she wasn’t prepared to meet with a face full of sympathy and remorse.

"I'm sorry, you probably didn't want me snooping," his tone conveyed shame.

She didn't and should have felt violated, but she was surprised more than anything. She knew something horrible happened to her parents, intentional or accidental. Her grand-mère chose to spare her the details for a reason.

"I was worried," he suddenly confessed. "Hearing about what happened to your family, I was worried about you. That was why I came along even when you told me not to."

"I'm not mad," the witch sighed. A part of her has started accepting the truth. 

She looked to the heavens for guidance. 

"Could you... tell me what happened to them?" Marinette asked after a moment.

"Even if it's bad?" He stared at her, uneased.

She hesitated but made a decision.

"... Especially if it's bad. I should know."

Chat Noir took in a deep breath.

"Your parents…" He faltered, but then began again. "Your parents own a bakery near the edge of town. They were good bakers too, but when people found out their witchy origins… They destroyed the place."

At the last moment, Chat Noir averted his eyes.

“You can surmise what happened to them from that," he told her in a hushed voice. Any louder seemed too painful for him. Adrien’s heart had always been too big for his own good. He felt sad even when the situation had nothing to do with him.

Silence fell between them, mostly because he had nothing else to add and she was trying to sort out her thoughts. Her parents must have known their time was drawing near and left her with her grand-mère as the last resort.

"I can understand why," she scoffed. "You can't exactly trust the hands of a witch to prepare your food. Based on every fairy tale, we are supposed to be evil and have absolutely nothing better to do than terrorize. When have those stories ever been wrong, right?" Marinette sarcastically said, then became shocked by the deep bitterness and spite in her voice.

On the contrary, Chat Noir was not surprised by her spitefulness. He appeared to have expected it and was understanding of the situation.

"You have every right to be angry, y'know."

Closing her eyes, Marinette relaxed. 

"I know, but why? I'm just wasting my energy. You can't change stupidity." She shrugged.

"That's true, but some people do change for the better," he said optimistically. "Remember the tavern?" 

Her feet screeched to a halt again. 

At her reaction, Chat Noir stopped too.

"People were talking badly about your family, why do you keep quiet?" He asked, unaware of the emotions swirling inside her heart.

Instead of answering, she threw a question back at him.

"Then you knew who I was? T-this entire time?"

"I just knew you were a witch," Chat Noir answered. "Normally, people don't look like they are about to cry in public, especially after someone talks badly about a witch. A lot of people in the area are xenophobic."

"Yeah," she agreed. Her head bowed.

"I'm kind of embarrassed," he admitted bashfully. "You saw an unflattering side of me."

“No,” she shook her head. In actuality, that was the part of him that she had fallen in love with. His earnest and humble side. “Thank you for being angry on my behalf. No one has ever done that for me before.”

In fact, he had always been good to her. It felt like she could trust him with anything. Giving him her name that day was the best decision of her life. She couldn’t ever have imagined feeling so lighthearted just hearing her name said to her again.

"I don't understand," Marinette said as she tilted her head at him. "How come you aren't afraid or hate witches?" 

A question she has always wanted to ask since meeting him.

"Because you are a good witch," he stated as a matter-of-fact. "You're smart, friendly, hardworking, and inspiring. Aren't those enough reasons?"

Marinette blushed when he sent a wink her way.

"I need a better explanation than a list of compliments about me, minou," she bumped shoulders with him. A smile began to grow on her face once more.

"Ok ok, I'll be serious now," he grinned and joked. The light mood from earlier returned. "I was just trying to cheer you up. Can't I catch a break?"

She snorted.

"Just answer the questions, Chat."

"Your grand-mère saved my mère a long time ago," he confessed. The look on his face was an admiration and respect expression. "Mère was suffering from an illness that no physician could identify or cure. No one could name the cause; although, some guessed it was a curse placed on her to get to père, and by extension, the king since he was his right-hand warlock. We almost lost hope, but the witch Befana stood by her every night. She didn't give up until finally finding a cure."

Her eyes widened, amazed but not really surprised. Grand-mère Gina was a brilliant witch. Maybe the best in centuries.

"Père was eternally grateful for your grand-mère too, so I am not the only one who sees them in a good light." He happily added, which she had no reasons not to believe. "If it weren't for her, my mère would not be with us. That is something that cannot be repaid or measured."

Thinking back, what Adrien said all those years ago makes sense now. Why he had stepped in and defended her family at the tavern. Surely there was some hope left if people like Adrien exist. Maybe the stigma against witches will eventually disappear.

"Thank you for telling me," she gently murmured.

For the first time in a long while, her heart brimmed with pride for being a witch. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author Note** :
> 
> Maman = Mom
> 
> Papa = Dad
> 
> Grand-mère (shorten form is Mamie or Mémé) = Grandmother
> 
> Minou = Kitty
> 
> Mère = Mother
> 
> Père = Father


	9. The Nectar of Love

The nectar of love. Maple syrup could hardly be called that. It was indeed sweet, just like love, but also sticky and messy.

...Which Adrien guessed is the reason it makes such a good allegory for love.

A rare commodity, maple syrup is produced only in cold climates. Of course, like most magical ingredients, it is not as simple as going to the market and buying it off from a vendor. The sweet syrup must be harvested from either a sugar, red, or black maple tree that is inhabited by a fairy. And he knew no trees that fit those two categories.

The problem isn't that it is not the season to extract the sap from maple trees. Marinette had said she can easily compensate for this setback by grinding the starches from the maple's roots or branches and mixing it with corn syrup to make an artificial alternative. It is that the one tree Marinette had relied on seemed to have been abandoned for ages. As time passed, the maple tree lost the magical properties from the fairy and became a regular tree. [1]

They contemplate their next steps.

"So we need to find a new fairy and convince them to live in the tree again," Adrien said. "Simple enough."

Her arms crossed.

"And how are we supposed to do that, Chat?" She asked, a little skeptical that it would be that easy for them. 

"We can try luring a fairy," he suggested. 

"Hmm…." Marinette pondered, considering the idea. "Fairies do have a penchant of playing mischievous tricks on unexpected individuals. We could somehow leverage that."

Adrien snapped his fingers together. He remembered an important fact about fairies from one of his studies.

"Some fairies hangout in haunted locations. Do you know any good places like that?"

Instead of answering, she gave him a sly smile.

"How is your acting skill?"

"Acting?" He echoed.

A plan was formed.

\----------

By the time they regrouped, the sun had set. Darkness came fast in the deep forest. Only the soft orange light that managed to slip through the thick branches was any indication that it was dusk; otherwise, it was practically night time inside the ruins.

“I didn’t know such a place existed here,” Adrien remarked in silent awe, while taking in their surroundings. A thin layer of fog covered the area. Overgrown plants flourished and covered everything. What appeared to be a roof had collapsed in itself and only stone pillars and walls remained. The structure was too big to be just someone's resident, and not intricate enough to be a palace, so he suspected it once was an ancient temple dedicated to a god or bunch of gods.

Marinette tried to supplement some history. 

"I happened to stumble upon this place, actually,” she began proudly. “It might even predate the kingdom's reign seeing as how unkempt the place is. There are multiple buildings beside the one we are in. If you follow the layout of the walls, you can somewhat deduce their arrangements. Right now, we are in the foyer.”

“Interesting,” he uttered while eyeing at a decrepit wall. Most of its illustrations and paint had faded away; although, you can still make out an animal in one small section.

“Anyways,” Marinette waved. “Remember why we are here."

He focused again and nodded, "right."

Taking a deep breath, Chat Noir cranked up his charms.

"Woe us!" He dramatically exclaimed and draped a hand over his forehead as if stricken. "We are but mere mortals who have lost our way here. I hope no fairies come out and lead us further astray. That would make us look very foolish, but alas fools we are."

He then pretended to weep, just like in those plays his mère loved watching. The effort made him look ridiculous instead.

"Really? That's the best you can do?" She whispered next to him, holding back a snicker. "Very subtle."

Slightly embarrassed, Adrien cleared his throat and composed himself. In his own opinion, he felt the drama was justified.

They wait for a moment. Their eyes scan for any sudden movement in the tall grass and old ruins.

When nothing seemed to be amiss, Marinette sadly sighed.

"I guess that didn't work," she said.

"What are we going to do now? We need a fairy to occupy that tree." He played along, as per their script in case plan A didn't work out. "Specifically, the old maple tree on the right bank of the lake near the Witch Ladybug's home."

Marinette elbowed him for being too obvious. 

Admittedly, his acting needed a bit more practice.

"It is really too bad because no one is carrying for the tree," she continued her lines. "I would hate it to be neglected. The tree has been standing there for centuries."

"And it's so big and great," he began bragging. "I would even say it's maybe the best tree in the forest."

"It also comes with a nice view of the lake," she added for good measure.

At last, a ball of light appeared. If they had not known better, they could have mistaken it for a firefly. What gave it away was the glow. Where a bug would normally flicker like a heartbeat, a fairy's light radiated brightly and steadily. Furthermore, their colors were unique, ranging from vivid to striking.

They both secretly smiled and drew closer to the black glow.

"Plagg!"

Adrien and her blinked at the shrill voice. It didn't belong to either of them.

Another fairy appeared seemingly out of thin air and berated the black fairy.

"What were you planning to do to them?!" The red fairy exclaimed.

"Nothing…" Plagg denied petulantly.

The red fairy's expression went flat.

"Okay, maybe dump them in a ditch," the black fairy admitted. "I just wanted to check out the tree they mentioned."

"There are better ways to approach this..."

"Eh? But where is the fun in that, Tikki?"

Seeing that the conversation was about to derail, Marinette stepped in.

"We don't mind. No hard feelings, right? Actually, we would love it if both of you came to live in the tree." She clamped her hands together and pleaded. 

Adrien followed suit, copying her pose.

One glance at them was enough to make Plagg turn away.

"Nah, I changed my mind.”

"What?! But you were interested a moment ago!" Marinette complained.

“Yeah!” Adrien backed her up.

"I don't trust humans. Why do you think I was leading you off to the ditch, to begin with?" Plagg turned to him next, "And what's with the cat mask? It's strange."

At the remark, he touched his cat mask and sulk.

"Okay, I'll be honest. We were about to capture you-" Marinette confessed.

"See Tikki!" Plagg accused.

"BUT only because we need a fairy to live in the tree again," the witch explained. "It really is a nice place to live, just as we describe. I promise, no more funny business."

Unfortunately, the fairies still didn't believe them. 

"No thanks," the black fairy declined again and yawned. No doubt bored of the conversation.

"Ahh! No, wait!" Marinette cried out to no avail.

Plagg was the first to fly off. Tikki, seemingly the nicer of the two, at least gave them a slight wave before she left. They were about to completely disappear when Adrien blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"What if we bribe you?" He proposed.

Plagg looked mildly interested in the offer.

"Bribe with what?" The black fairy asked.

"Um… erm. Ah, well..." Adrien looked at Marinette for suggestions.

"Sweets!" She immediately shouted.

"I like sweets," Tikki excitedly fluttered to her side.

"What about cheese?" Plagg asked, not easily swayed as his companion.

"Sure?" Adrien answered and shrugged, seeing no problem with the request.

"Camembert cheese?" The fairy insisted.

That actually gave him a pause.

"Okay."

Plagg zip up to his face. Although very tiny, Adrien thinks he saw a grin.

"Deal."

Not long after, Marinette's new neighbors move in. They were playful and curious, and at times obnoxious. One of their favorite past-times was pestering butterflies in her garden. 

"It's gotten lively here," Adrien noted as he sat on one of two kitchen chairs. The knight glanced at Tikki who had poked her head from Marinette's flower plot on the window sill.

Marinette followed his gaze.

"They come and go," she shrugged and continued stirring the concoction in her iron cauldron.

As if knowing who they were discussing about, Tikki giggled but made no move to leave her hiding spot.

He remembered seeing Plagg too while coming in. Who knows what kind of trouble that fairy was stirring up. Both fairies were rarely apart or far from Marinette's cabin for that matter. They were practically furniture fixtures to her home with how often they visit. How these drop-ins became a regular thing, no one knows, but it made Adrien feel responsible.

"Is this really fine? Your last neighbor was probably not as loud and noisy." He asked, guilty stricken.

Plagg and Tikki wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. They were ultimately for his benefit. 

Since coming here, he has been imposing in Marinette's life. Disturbing her peace. Pestering her for the love potion, which she was reluctant to make it in the first place. Normally, he would have not asked or, dare say, forced a person.

Adrien watched Marinette mull over his question. She was taking longer than expected to answer, carefully thinking over her words.

Although she may not see it the same way, he does consider her a very dear person to him. He felt like they had grown close. The more he learned about her magic world, the more fascinated and invested he was in her life. He envied how unstructured her days are as opposed to his own and found her presence refreshing. He hopes they’ll remain friends after their transaction ends.

"I like the company,” Marinette finally decided. “I’ve been alone for such a long time. Since grand-mère’s passing, it'd been quiet. Having everyone here fills my home with warmth again.”

Adrien wasn't prepared for his heart to skip a beat the way it did when she gently smiled at him. He'd always known she had a nice smile. So why did it seem like a new revelation just now?

"And. Um… You're also welcome to come by anytime too," she shyly offered. Her cheeks bloomed the prettiest red when she blushed.

His breath hitched. 

“Because you are part of this warmth,” she let slip.

He realized he needed to say something, but he couldn't avert his gaze from her to think of a coherent reply. He was stuck staring at her. Perhaps because he wanted to reach out or perhaps it was the desire to stay by her side.

"Ugh, humans! Just kiss already!"

They heard Plagg's disgust in the background.

Adrien flushed, while Marinette proceeded to hide her mortification by pulling her red hood down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author Note** :
> 
> Grand-mère (shorten form is Mamie or Mémé) = Grandmother
> 
> Mère = Mother
> 
> **Explanatory Notes** :
> 
> [1] Fairies = Mythical creatures in folklore, mostly small. There are various versions of them. Sprites and Pixies to name a couple of examples. In this story, I combined both aspects of them. They love to play tricks and their attitude tends to fluctuate. They have a mutualistic relationship with nature, meaning their jobs are to care for plants. For example, helping trees to shake off the Winter's snow and plucking leaves from trees in Autumn.


	10. Romance, Like The Rabbit At The Dog Track, Is Elusive

This time around, the ingredient was one of the simplest kinds to collect.

Marinette told him that rabbits represent fertility in many cultures. Therefore, they are often used in many potion brews for their versatility and enhancement properties. For the love potion, they needed a specific breed. Lepus Cornutus, to be precise. A critter similar to the European rabbit, but with antlers on its head. [1]

When Adrien learned that she regularly set up traps in the forest, he offered his hunting skills to capture the rabbit.

Instead of the appreciation like he expected, Marinette laughed.

"I'm good, no offense," she declined.

"Oh?" Adrien grinned. He knew her well enough by that point to sense a challenge. "You think you can catch them faster?"

"Much faster than a person trampling around in the forest, I think," she said and didn't back down. It was rare to see her this feisty and cheeky. 

Adrien took a step forward. Predictably, she did not step back but held her ground even as she craned her neck to look up at him. 

"Confident, but not for long," he  retorted  back. "Let's see who's the best then."

Just for fun, they made it a competition.

They wagered whoever loses was responsible for Tikki and Plagg for a week. This includes following their every whim. Both fairies were fully onboard with the bet when they heard the news.

"I like this idea," Plagg maniacally cackled. "My personal errand boy."

"Why does it sound like you've already decided who lost?" Adrien asked as they waited for Marinette's arrival at their rendezvous. 

They will start from the maple tree and whoever comes back first with a rabbit will hail the victor. As an added assurance that the other doesn't cheat, they will each take a fairy to watch over their hunt.

"Because you will lose," Plagg simply answered while lounging on his back. "You forget, it’s pigtails job to hunt down ingredients."

Adrien leveled him with a glare before turning to the red fairy.

"You too, Tikki?"

"Well, I don't want to discourage you..." She fidgeted.

He threw up his hands in the air.

"Jeez, thanks guys for your vote of support but you are both wrong!”

"That's big words coming from someone who is about to lose." Marinette bolstered as she walked towards them. Her attire was the same tattered red cloak he always saw her in. Nothing about the  garment  was practical. Any animal would notice her within seconds because red sticks out like a sore thumb. Black is a better fit in the green forest, which Chat Noir wore. Adrien had no reason to suspect he’ll lose.

"It's cute you still think you will win." He cracked a smile, practically brimming with confidence and cockiness. "You sure you don't want to back down?" 

"And miss a chance to make fun of you later? Never." 

He can tell she was fully intending to rub it in his face when she does win. If she does, that is.

"You're going down," he promised.

"I’m looking forward to it," she said with a smirk. "Let’s go Tikki."

The red fairy zipped to her side and beamed at her.

"Okay!"

Adrien wished he could say the same thing about his own fairy’s cooperation.

"Come on, Plagg."

"Do we have to?” Plagg whined. “You’re going to lose anyway."

In the end, Marinette did win. 

Rather than be annoyed as Adrien thought he would, he laughed at Marinette’s many teases and taunts. The look when she stuck her tongue as she thought of a good comeback was amusing enough to make up for losing.

As agreed, Adrien abided by the fairies’ every whim. It was fortunate how predictable they were. Tikki and Plagg's appetites never change, even when they could ask anything else. The only problem is getting pass the kitchen staff. 

He would normally buy the  camembert from the farmer's market and the chocolate chip cookies from the bakery on the way out, but he's been arriving late to his patrols and knight duties too many times. It was drawing some attention. If he isn’t too careful, words will reach the king and end up reaching père's ears. 

Although the warlock feels indebted to the witches, Adrien isn't fully convinced he'll be enthusiastic about finding out his son was visiting one especially when witches are viewed poorly by people. It is best to keep a low profile.

Adrien quietly sneaked behind the kitchen staff while their backs were turned, down to the cellar to grab the cheese. When he came back up and pass by a table, he plucked some cookies before slipping out to the hallway. 

He crept down the dimly lit corridor as conspicuously as one can when you just rob from your own kitchen. 

"Adrien," a cool voice called out to him.

He quickly hid the stolen goods behind his back just as Gabriel appeared into his line of sight.

"Good morning, père." Adrien greeted him with a slight nod of acknowledgment.

Slick hair and clean shaved, Gabriel had an impeccable appearance. He was the sort of man who carried himself proudly and held no shame, except if you count bearing a magicless son. A long white and purple robe draped over his body, pinned by a brilliance gem brooch that is befitting of his tall stature.

Their conversations were never long, so Adrien expected this was one of those times. However, Gabriel surprised him.

"You seem in a hurry all the time," Gabriel noted with a curious lit in his voice.

"Yes, being a knight keeps me busy," Adrien answered and wondered if père really cares or was this some rogue to get something out of him.

"Are you going now?"

"Yes, but not before-" Adrien stopped. He almost revealed Marinette and the fairies to him _. _

Gabriel arched a brow at his silence.

"Is there something else?" The warlock questioned.

_ Why are you curious, père? _ Adrien wondered but was not confident enough to ask. However, Adrien knew the longer he remained tightlipped the more incriminating he became.

The silences sat awkwardly between them, stretching until Gabriel sighed. He took a handkerchief to wipe his glasses.

"I don’t have time for this game," Gabriel furrowed his brows in annoyance and placed his specs back on his long nose. "I was just wondering because your mère wishes us to have tea with you next time you are free. If a time isn’t available then I can ask someone to rearrange my schedule."

"Is that all?"Adrien blinked at him, confused.

Most of the time, Gabriel had an aloof expression. Showing emotions was a sign of weakness in society for men. But today, his face morphed into an expression Adrien hadn’t seen before. Flustered, with a touch of embarrassment.

"W-what else could there be?!” He  spluttered . “You are still young and unmarried, so you should at least make time for your parents."

It sounded far-fetched, but not impossible. It was just unexpected coming from him. Perhaps Père was not a bad person, although an awful parent is still a contender. Maybe Marinette's words at the lake long ago rang some truth after all. Or maybe Adrien had begun to see his father in a brighter light now that his mind isn't on a constant loop of self-deprecating thoughts. 

The house name and title have been given to his cousin Félix to inherit. Nothing will change that fact. The announcement was nevertheless a huge blow to Adrien's self-esteem. It solidified his failures and laid them bare, but he understood the move was the best at keeping the Agreste name within the nobility and the highly respected. What change is the burden that he didn't realize he had started to lift. 

Days spent as Chat Noir had done him good. He felt happier. He worried less about the Agreste image and reputation. And with Marinette, he felt at ease with someone that didn’t look at him expecting something that he couldn’t deliver. Adrien sometimes wondered how he was lucky enough to have met her and to have befriended her.

"Speak to my assistant," Père reminded him. By then, Gabriel had smoothed out his expression back to cool indifference. If Adrien hadn't known better, he would have thought père did not care if he goes or not. But whether he cared or not didn't matter to Adrien anymore. He had Marinette. Someone whose thoughts matter more to him.

“I understand.” Adrien decided on a safe enough answer. His face remained neutral.

Gabriel followed with a stiff nod, "Good" and departed. 

Finding their encounter funny and strange, Adrien couldn't help bursting into laughter after Gabriel left. It could be his insanity or just relief, but he felt in good spirits. Good enough that Adrien made his way to Ladybug's home much faster than normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author Note** :
> 
> Mère = Mother
> 
> Père = Father
> 
> **Explanatory Notes** :
> 
> [1] Lepus cornutus (Horned Hare) - A rabbit with antlers on its head said to exist in Europe. The equivalent in America is called a Jackalope. There are other variants of horn rabbits, such as Wolpertinger in Germany, Raurackl in Austria, skvader in Sweden, and Dilldapp in Switzerland.


	11. Love is A Flower You've Got to Let Grow

"I've waited for this day!” Chat Noir cheered. To say he was excited was an understatement. “Prepare yourself to be blown away by my exceptional witts, my lady."

They were sitting in her small kitchen with the windows wide open. The afternoon rays streamed in and warmed up the room, setting it in a white glow. A small glass jar was placed on the table between them.

"Not unless my jokes are better," Marinette jested back. 

“Whatever you say!” He chortled. Even her comment didn’t damper his mood.

Without further delays, Chat Noir jumped on his first joke, "What do you call a witch who lives on a beach?"

"What, Chat?" Marinette humored him with an eye roll.

"A  _ sand-witch _ ."

"That was terrible." She bit back a smile. That was just so typical of Chat Noir.

"What is the most important subject in witch school?" Chat Noir said next. He didn't wait for her response this time and delivered the punchline. " _ Spelling _ !"

"Stop!" She cried laughing.

"Aw, come on. That joke works like a  _ charm _ ." He grinned, unabashedly.

Marinette rested her cheek on the palm of her hand.

"I'm getting the feeling you've been saving these for the right moment," she accused. Marinette knew Chat Noir too well at this point.

His eyes twinkled again. "Yeah, wanna hear more?"

"Oh my god… what have I unleashed?"

But the smile that spread across Chat Noir’s face was so proud, so pure that she didn't want to ruin it.

_ Fine, let him think he was hilarious.  _

His next puns and jokes were rolled out in great successions. There was barely any pause in between as if he had rehearsed them many times in his head.

“I never forget a face, but in your case, I’ll make an  _ hex-ception _ .”

"What does a witch say to her customer?  _ Bewitch-a _ in a minute!"

"All I really  _ wand _ to do was tell puns. Why must you  _ curse _ me?”

"What does a deaf witch say? I  _ chant _ hear you!"

"Do what comes  _ supernaturally _ ."

Marinette lost control of her laughter, cracking up so hard that she had to take a breath to steady herself. She whipped the tears from her eyes and dropped them in the glass jar. It barely filled it. When she looked up again, Chat Noir had the most satisfied and smuggest smirk she had ever seen him had.

"Don't let that go to your head too hard," she reminded him. "They are still quite bad."

“What is this?” Plagg interrupted. “I can hear you throwing god awful puns from outside.” He suddenly appeared between them then spotted the camembert left out on the table by Chat. "Ah, my gooiness~!"

The fairy immediately zipped towards it and started gobbling up his cheese.

Tikki came in shortly after from the same open window and joined him in the feast too. Granted, she at least politely greeted them before sinking into the cookies.

Marinette put a temporary stop in their game to explain.

"Chat is helping me collect some happy tears for the jasmine flowers I am planning to grow. If the seedlings are imbued in our tears, they will sprout within a few days instead of the usual two-three months. They cannot be forced out, so we are telling each other funny one-liners and jokes. It is easier when you have two people working together."

For a while now, Marinette had been meaning to restock the jasmine leaves in her kitchen cupboards. She often used them to brew tea for Chat Noir and herself. Lucky for her, the next ingredient for the love potion was jasmine. Albeit, the one they will be collecting will be the magical kind. They are still edible either way.

"You humans are all ridiculous." Plagg surmised and burped, while Tikki eyed them with interest.

"That reminds me," Marinette turned towards Chat Noir. "The fairies pointed out that I won nothing from our earlier bet."

"Because you are a merciful person?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.

She pretended to think.

"Am I, though?" 

"Isn’t handling two demanding fairies enough?" He implored her.

"Nah, I don’t think so." Marinette grinned, then showed off a cute bell collar and cat headband she pulled out from behind a stash. 

"What are those?" He asked. His voice was full of amusement and wonder.

"Your punishment!" She proudly brandished them. 

“Pfft,” Chat Noir chuckled behind a closed fist.

"Hey! Don’t start hurting my feelings. I work very hard at making them." She joined in, laughing. "See, this collar even rings," Marinette demonstrated it by shaking the golden bell. The bell chimed a sweet song. "You have the weirdest ability of sneaking behind me, but I can hear you coming now with this."

"It comes with the turf of being a self-proclaimed cat," he flamboyantly declared while looking far too pleased.

Marinette almost snorted. She can always count on him to say something silly.

That was when Plagg decided to bud in their conversation. He gave a quick glance at the decorative headband and collar then started to cackle.

"Ohhh, this is too good. You should definitely wear it. In fact, I insist." Plagg stressed.

"I have such a benevolent master." Chat Noir drew out sarcastically. 

“I am, aren’t I?” The fairy exclaimed boastfully, not quite getting the sarcasm in his voice.

“He didn’t mean it as a compliment,” Tikki whispered to her companion.

Plagg merely shrugged and finished the rest of his cheese in one gulp.

"You don't really have to wear them," Marinette shuffled her feet awkwardly, suddenly feeling very shy and self-conscious at that moment. "It was just a simple gag and I got you to laugh. That’s the important part. Mission accomplished."

He looked at her.

“What? Why?" Chat Noir sounded surprised, at least he sounded surprised to her. She couldn't tell if he was acting nor understand if he wasn't. "And miss receiving a free gift?! No way!” He grabbed them out of her hands and held them close to his chest.

Before she could protest, he already started putting the bell collar and cat headband on him. In his haste, his hair got caught in the headband. He struggled to pull it out.

Marinette blinked at him, finding the situation growing more bizarre, but smiled nonetheless.

"Let me help, you silly cat." She tsked, then walked around the table to meet him.

With Chat Noir sitting down, their heights weren't much different. Marinette reached down to smooth out his hair. Her fingertips danced along his scalp as she unsnarled the mess he made with his hair and headband. Secretly, she was admiring his blond hair strands. They glistered like gold under the sunlight.

"Thank you," he flashed a sheepish grin. "I might have gotten a little excited."

"A little?" Marinette hummed, amused.

"This is a gift from you," he told her kindly.

"Even if it was just a prop for my gag?" She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I like it." Chat Noir’s right hand wrapped around her wrist, holding it gently. She felt her face heat up as he met her gaze and realized that her heart was beating fast. He was too close.

Marinette quickly averted her eyes and focused on untangling his hair.

"You don't need to wear it all the time. I'll feel embarrassed for you if you do," she softly whispered.

"Just this once let me indulge myself," Chat Noir said as a broad smile crossed his face. His eyes became tender and radiant. He really did seem happy with the silly cat ears and bell collar she made.

"There. It's fixed." She finally declared and withdrew her hands. 

"How do I look?" He asked with a slight pose.

"Like a dork," she laughed. Plagg soon joined in the laughter too when he saw Chat Noir's fatuous new looks. The cat ears fit the knight and the bell collar completed the attire.

Chat Noir pouted at their reaction.

"I feel ganged up. Should I be concerned about how close Plagg and you are becoming?" The knight wondered. He searched for any compassionate person in the room. "Tikki, help?"

"You do look rather dashing with the cat ears and collar," the red fairy sweetly giggled.

“I would even say you are  _ the cat's meow _ .” Marinette held her palm over her mouth. She really wanted to keep teasing him, but instead, she flicked the bell around his neck.

"Oh," Chat Noir's eyes light up. "I get it. Ha Ha. I guess it is my turn to be the butt of the jokes now."

"You caught me  _ cat _ handed," she gave him an innocent smile and shrug.

“Honestly, Marinette I am impressed! I wasn’t sure you had it in you.” He snickered.

"And by the end of this, you will wish I put you out of your  _ mew-sery _ ."

The pun only pushed him over. He clutched his stomach and fell into a fit of laughter. Tears began to leak from his eyes.

Until recently, her life as a witch was devoid of joy. She spent her days in a boring routine; tending the garden, harvesting ingredients, and handing customers whenever they came at night. She was basically twiddling away her days, filling the long silent days with chores and hobbies she can find. Because that was how she was taught to live as a witch. Now, Adrien has enriched her days with laughter and company. Marinette can only wish deep in her heart that these moments with him would last a bit longer.


	12. The Flower That Blooms In Adversity is The Rarest and Most Beautiful of All (1)

Marinette tapped her chin in deep thought. 

"So you gave yourself a riddle and forgot what type of flower we need for the potion?" Adrien asked, bewildered by the idea.

"It worked with the last set of ingredients," she puffed her cheeks in defense. "I remember those. Besides, it was for precaution. Love potion can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Because of my naive self, I was selling them left and right at the time. This was the best way to prevent abuse. It was a good idea at the time."

"But now we have to crack your little riddle." He sighed and read her neatly written scribbles again: 

_ The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all. _

It could be any flower. The description was so vague.

"What happens if it's the wrong flower?” He pondered out loud. “Surely, one minuscule detail off can't really offset the potion." 

"Either the potion doesn't work… or it becomes a lethal poison for the intended target." She shrugged, nonchalantly. By then, she had moved on and was working on organizing some dry herbs she collected outside. The love potion was no longer her focus.

"Got it. Make sure we get the right flower." He dutifully noted and crossed his arms. "You sure you don't remember?"

"If you give me a bit more time, my memory might joggle," she said while scrutinizing a plant stem.

"I don't actually have a lot of time though." He hummed then snapped his fingers together. An idea popped in his mind. "Hey, what about the city library. I'm sure we can find clues there. It has everything."

She looked up from her work.

"I don't know…" Marinette hesitated. 

"You haven't been in the city for a long time, right?” Adrien recalled. 

"I usually avoid it if I can," she admitted.

“Ah, but there is a celebration tomorrow night to commemorate the King's 40th Jubilee," he revealed, hoping to use that as bait. "Fireworks will be lit for the special occasion. We can drop by to see them after the library. It's a win-win situation, don't you think?"

That piqued her interest, but she quickly smoldered it.

“Crowds aren't exactly my thing.” She explained.

Even so, Adrien kept trying to persuade her. 

"I'll be there," he assured her. "And I won't let anything happen to you."

Adrien knows she wants to go. The glint in her eyes when he mentioned fireworks wasn't a mistake. Marinette probably hadn't gone to any of the kingdom's celebrations since Gina's passing. She genuinely felt uncomfortable with the townsfolk, which is a reasonable fear considering how they poorly view witches. However, he didn't want the fear to stop her from enjoying life. 

"As Chat Noir?" She furrowed her brow, not quite following him.

“Actually, I was thinking…” Adrien began with a playful lit to his voice. “To dress as myself.”

Her eyes widened.

"I'll just draw suspicions if I wear my black cat disguise otherwise," he explained.

"What?! You can't!" Marinette immediately protested. "You and I… Don’t you have to be careful with your appearance?"

"Not unless you put on maiden clothes. No one would notice; although," he bashfully scratched his cheek. "You might be called out for walking beside me because of my family's reputation instead. I'm sort of recognizable because I frequent there. But that's beside the point."

Taking a deep breath, he met her gaze.

"I really do want to bring you to the festival," he confessed. "I want to show my appreciation for your help."

"I'm just doing my job," she quietly said.

"It's not that," he shook his head. "You've become someone important to me."

Adrien couldn't help but blush in embarrassment at his own admission. He might have been a bit forward with his words, but it was the truth. Being around Marinette felt normal and comforting. His heart is just at ease when he's with her. In fact, they were accustomed to seeing each other almost every day. It definitely beats going alone.

Marinette's cheeks burned. Like him, her face flushed but he can't say he really noticed. She cast her eyes down to the floor, likely weighing the pros and cons of going into the city.

"We'll be careful. Besides, everyone will be focused on the celebration." He pointed out, seeing her doubt.

Marinette sighed.

"Why is it hard to argue with you?" She surrendered.

"You gotta let me win sometimes too," Adrien jokingly grinned then proceeded to do an overdramatic bow. "Thank you, my lady, for allowing me to accompany you."

He took her right hand.

"I better have a great time, Chat," Marinette teased. She booped his nose before he could kiss the back of her palm.

He wrinkled his nose and chuckled.

"Let's meet up beside the fountain at the town square tomorrow at noon," Adrien decided.

Not a surprise, it was hard to arrange someone to cover him at the last minute. A few favors here and there were required. Lotting and crimes usually happen when a large conjugate of people gather under one spot, so the palace needed extra guards on duty. But it all worked out in the end for him because the next day he was waiting at the water fountain. 

Although the banquet for nobles had ended and the festival nearly over, the celebration for the King's 40th Jubilee was still in full swing. In his opinion, it was more fun than any boring gathering.

Even when there were no festivities, the city was always bustling with people. Today was more than usual, of course. The only sign that there will be a celebration later was the colorful streamers that hung on the lamp posts and the posters displayed on shop windows. There was excited chatter in the air too.

When the witch Ladybug finally arrived, she was dressed plainly as he did too. There was no giant red cloak to hide her underneath. There was no silly cat mask for him to disguise behind. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste were the ones who stood before the other. Face to face. 

No words were exchanged for a few seconds.

Marinette was the first to fold, unable to take the awkwardness any longer. "I – Ah. Um..." She swallowed, and tried again, "It's kind of weird to be able to see your full face."

Snapping his head up in shock, he nervously scratched the back of his head.

"It's weird for me too to see you in different clothes."

"It's still me though," she said with a fond smile.

"And I'm still Chat Noir," he answered back with his own smile then tilted his head towards the side streets. "Let's head over to the library now. It's not far from here."

He strode ahead and she followed behind until they were basically walking side by side. They trek towards the library. There were no walls between them. They were like any normal people on the street. Like equal. Like friends who were enjoying each other's company. Even if they came from different places and had different backgrounds, they were heading towards the same destination. 

As he had stated earlier, it didn't take long to arrive at the library. The building was majestic as what you expected from the kingdom's library, both inside and out. The interior was an open concept and well furnished. Thousands of books lined the shelves, promising vast information and miraculous tales inside.

Marinette was amazed, having never stepped inside the building before. 

"You never?" Adrien was genuinely surprised.

"There was never a need to visit. All the info you need to be a witch was taught to me and anything else is in books I already have back home," she admitted with a shrug. "However, I have heard many good things about this place from numerous customers I dealt with."

"Where should we even start then?" He asked, happy to be the one customer that brought her here.

All afternoon, they dug into old books. It wasn't the most exciting or riveting thing they did together since their little scavenger hunt started. They managed their expectations and divided the reading materials while everyone else was outside enjoying the celebration. Only the bare minimum staff were there, making the library extra quiet that day. It was peaceful.


	13. The Flower That Blooms In Adversity is The Rarest and Most Beautiful of All (2)

It's not until the evening when Marinette and Adrien found their answer to her riddle.

Her nose was deep in a book. It was close enough to rub against the pages. The dim light from the day was shrinking, making it difficult to read the faint words.

"Why didn't I think of that?! I'm so dumb," she suddenly slapped her forehead.

Adrien placed his book down. 

"Or brilliant," he pointed out. He didn't like the way she sometimes belittled herself. For them to struggle with the riddle meant that she had thought up a very clever one. "Anyways, you found a clue?"

Her mood improved.

"Even better. I got the answer. It's lotus flowers!" She turned the book around to show him a passage.

Lotus plants were adapted to grow in flooded plains. While some sprout immediately, and most are eaten by wildlife, the remaining seeds can remain dormant for an extensive period of time as the pond dries out. They will bloom exquisitely once water returns. In East culture, they represent love, growth, and transformation. It matches the type of flower they were searching for.

"That's great! I was about to go blind." Adrien stretched his arm above his head and rubbed his tired eyes.

Marinette giggled and agreed with the sentiment. She then caught a glimpse of the outside through the large glass windows and was appalled by how dark it became.

Adrien laughed at her expression. She had been too immersed in reading to notice the passage in time. 

"Do we still have time to check out the stalls before the fireworks?" She asked. Hope was evident in her voice.

"If we don't, we can always return, you know. But let's hurry anyway." He started collecting their books and shelving them in carts for the librarians to put away later.

She leaped to her feet to help too. 

By the time they exited the library, the sun had already sunk. Orange clouds streak across a deep purple sky, gradually changing into pink. It was an entirely different atmosphere to the one they had left behind in the afternoon.

The musicians on the street played as people clap and danced, children cheered as they watched performers carry out fantastic feats, but the most incredible thing was the smell of delicious food permeating through the air. Marinette and Adrien's first thought was to grab dinner.

They ate roasted corn and stuff potatoes from a booth, both courteously paid by him, before taking a detour to grab some desserts.

"I am skeptical," Marinette's gazed zeros in on the frozen treat in her hand. It was wrapped in a warm crispy waffle.

"You won't even know if you like it unless you try." He argued, already starting on his ice cream. Even at a glance, he knew it'll be delicious. 

"Why is it white? Or cold for that matter?!" She questioned, continuing to scrutinize the ice cream with great interest. It was Marinette's first time seeing the confection; a recent invention in the kingdom. "And the vendor was selling it to us as a magical dessert that will grant our deepest wishes. That should raise some red flags in your head too."

"It's a gimmick to get people to buy them," he answered easily. No ink of doubt in his mind. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he was joking with us. Only warlocks, witches, and sorcerers possess magic. He obviously was just a nice normal guy."

"Magic should never be a joke," she huffed and crossed. "Also, that's a false advertisement."

Adrien hummed, understanding where she was coming from. Marinette took pride in her trade as a witch. If people really thought those ice cream possessed real magic, they would be sorely disappointed. Everyone will start doubting the authenticity of magic.

He gave her a sideways glance. Seeing her adorable pout, he felt an urge to tease her.

"You better eat it or else it'll melt." Adrien made a motion to sneak a bite of her ice cream. As expected, she immediately pulled the frozen treat out of his reach.

"Hey! Don't do that!" She squawked at him, which only made him chuckle and want to tease her more.

"What?" He grinned, "if you aren't going to eat the ice cream then I might as well."

She stared back down at the sweet, clearly conflicted. "Fine, I'll try it."

Grains of sugar stuck to her lips as she tentatively licked the frozen treat. Her hands became sticky with syrup that started dripping.

"Is it good?" He asked, not sure why he was anxious for her opinion.

"Surprisingly, yes," Marinette said with clear delight on her face. She took another gleefully lick at the cone.

Adrien relaxed.

"See, I told you so," he became smug. "Why you didn't believe me is beyond me."

Marinette rolled her eyes at his cheeky response.

"I feel honestly hurt by your lack of trust in my taste." Adrien wasn't. Truthfully, he was just feeling silly tonight.

Feeling mischievous herself too, she dabbed a bit of her ice cream on his nose. 

He gasped, aghast. Both from her childish act and the chill from the frozen treat.

"Oops, did I do that?" She feigned innocence and hid her impish smile behind her hand, "my bad."

As a form of retaliation, he slipped some of his ice cream too. The end of the cream caught her nose, leaving behind a delicate white swirl.

“Now we’re equal,” Adrien declared. His grin was unapologetic.

He laughed at her outrage cry. Her reaction was so funny that he acted even more playful.

Eventually, Marinette couldn't stand it, so she shoved her ice cream into his mouth.

They spent the last hour browsing through store stalls and admiring the festivities. He enjoyed every expression Marinette made when she encountered something new, going as far as making sure he didn’t get left out in the excitement too. It was infectious. A part of him felt like a child again.

There was a skip to Marinette's step as they walked down another street. It wasn't hard to see that she was happy. He was glad he got her to come to the city.

And despite his earlier worries about someone recognizing him, no one actually paid attention to them. It made sense since he wasn't wearing any that displays the Agreste house crest like he would normally do. It also helped that everyone's focus was on the celebration.

_ We almost look like a couple _ , he mused to himself.

Adrien blinked and quickly doused those thoughts before it could flourish and take root. Although it didn’t stop him from hiding his flaming face behind her back.

_ No, no, no. This isn't the first time they've done something together. I-It's just that the place has set an unnecessary mood. _

Following the sounds of merry people, Marinette and him reached the town center where the people milled about. 

Closer to ten o'clock, the crowd became thicker. People were getting a bit rowdy too. Any moment now the firework will start. In the excitement, Marinette nearly got tackled because of her small stature.

She let out a squeak.

His heart lurched, and instinctively grabbed her and pulled her back to his side before she got carried away by the wave of people.

She looked up in wonder.

He stared at their intertwined hands, equally surprised by himself. But instead of letting go, his grip tightened.

"Is this fine?" He held their locked hands up to their face. “I don’t want us getting separated in the crowd.”

“Y-yeah,” she spluttered. “Of course it is! Why would it not be okay? It’s totally okay. Nothing weird here. Nope! No sir-ee!”

“Uh, are you sure?” Adrien regarded her carefully.

Marinette took a deep breath and nodded.

“Just nervous and overwhelmed, but I’m fine now.” She flashed him a reassuring smile then shyly arranged their fingers into a comfortable position.

"I-I promised I won't let anything happen to you, didn't I?" He said, trying to mask his flush without fully understanding why he was embarrassed.

Suddenly, a massive boom startled them. Gazing up towards the heavens, they noticed fireworks illuminating the dark sky. A silent hush overcame the crowd. Occasionally oohs and aahs puncture it. The pyrotechnics pop and explode into many designs. Some sizzled while others glittered and shot like shooting stars. It was a captivating sight seeing the different colors mingle together against a black canvas.

Despite its beauty, he couldn’t help but sneak glances at the young witch throughout the show. The lights from the fireworks lit her hair and face up with multicolor, making her glow. Her blue eyes shine as she marvels at them. He is suddenly reminded of how pretty Marinette was. 

"You know I'm glad I met you," she suddenly said, almost too quiet over the loud boom, but he heard nonetheless. It even snapped him from his momentary daze. "I really am. You made me happy, more than you know. I will always cherish this moment." 

He returned his gaze up to the sky and smiled, feeling accomplished.

"Yeah, me too. I won't forget this moment." He said to her.

The fireworks reach its crescendo. It began spewing out a vomit of colors. When the last amber died and the smoke cleared, the crowd around them erupted into a loud cheer. 

Not the first time this night, someone bumped into Marinette, which caused her to stumble. Her head fell against his chest and his arms were instinctively out to catch her fall.

They stare at each other, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. If anyone were to describe their pose, it would be a lover's embrace.

"Sorry!" Marinette and Adrien said in unison, but couldn't exactly pull away. Not with all the ecstatic people pushing and shoving.

She settled with a sheepish shrug.

"Is it normally like this?" She asked, still wrapped in his arms. Her head tucked underneath his chin.

"Things do sometimes get out of hands here," he chuckled.

Marinette and Adrien were smushed together again by the lively crowd, but they didn't mind and had started to join in with their applause. Carried away by everyone's joy.


	14. Rose are Red and Violets are Blue (1)

Roses were hard to grow and demanded lots of attention. Vain things, they are. It was the very same reason Marinette avoided growing them in her garden. She and Adrien will have to find one in the wild instead. It was also the last ingredient and most important to collect. The color of the petals will dictate the intensity of the love potion. Fortunately, she knew a place with an abundance of roses. In fact, she often travels there to collect herbs and plants. It was basically another garden to her, tended by the best caretaker of them all. Mother nature. Only a few could really appreciate it though.

"Why didn't we just buy one from the market? They look like any normal rose." Chat Noir crouched down to inspect the first shrub they encountered. A couple of thorny flowers have started blooming on it.

Marinette tucked her long red cloak underneath her chin and squatted down beside the cat disguise knight. An earthly smell wharf up to her nose. Not long ago, rain must have drenched the area. If she inspected the flowers carefully, she could see the dews collected underneath their leaves. Although she's had days to come to terms with the possibility of their partnership ending soon, it was only really hitting her when they reached here. 

"I don't trust where they grow or import them from," she explained after spending some time admiring a single rose. "They could have dyed their petals for all we know. We don't want to mix unknown variables in a magical potion."

"Hmm… make sense," he noted curiously then his green eyes locked with hers. "So, which one are we selecting?"

She averted her gaze.

"That is for you to decide," Marinette told him. She wasn't surprised by his confusion.

"Huh?"

"The practice of using flowers to communicate love stems from the idea that each color represents a form of affection,” she began describing the meaning behind each one. “A softer shade, like peach for example, is used to express sincerity or gratitude. White, innocent love or gesture of remembrance and reverse. Purple, love at first sight. Yellow symbolizes friendship, joy, and gladness. And red, a passionate love."

Marinette sneaked a glance at him under her lashes. She doesn’t have the courage to look at him directly though.

"So what kind of love are you looking for, Chat?" She asked and held her breath in anticipation. 

It was kind of scary putting her heart and hope in someone else's hands. It was basically an equivalent of giving them power over you. They can either hurt you or make you the happiest person in the world. That is the risk of falling in love, which also makes it easily the most dangerous game to play.

Despite knowing better, Marinette accepted his request. She put her old crush aside to help him. She felt confident about keeping their partnership professional. The best-case scenario is making a few bucks on the side. Somehow along the way she strayed from that straight and narrow path. 

No.

Adrien was just an extremely likable person. Very noble and kind. He's easy to get along with. And as much as she tried denying, her little crush hadn’t been wholly extinguished. Four-year is a long time to be in love after all.

The last few months had felt like a faraway dream to Marinette. Many times she had to remind herself not to get too attached to Adrien because one day, these sweet memories, this moment, their business contract will end. The confusing part is she sometimes gets the feeling he reciprocates these feelings too. His actions baffle her, doing incredibly kind and trivial (unnecessary) things. The recent festival proved to be an excellent example. Her heart was still a jumbled mess by what transpired there, or at least questioned if it had ever happened or if it had all been imagined in her head. 

Or maybe. Just maybe there was something between them. That this wasn't more than wishful thinking on her part.

What was their relationship? 

Adrien once said she was special, but what does it mean to be special to someone? Marinette wanted to be able to confidently answer that. Depending on his pick of rose, she'll know the type of request and where his true feelings for her lie.

But.

It would have been nice if, like in the fairy tales, the one you fall in love with is your one and true love.

"This one," Chat Noir answered.

Awareness broke through the haze of listlessness, and she looked down at his selection. 

A red rose. 

The bright color glared at her as if to taunt her. To remind her of something she cannot have. In conclusion, his potion is looking for a passionate love. A romantic love that comes quick and sweeps you away, leaving you with a sense of longing. Where the slightest gesture can send a spark of joy inside and every second is taken up by thoughts about them. Funny, it was very similar to the love spell she found herself falling under now. Whoever he is pursuing must be someone very precious to him and desperate enough to ask a witch for help.

Marinette pretended to not be disappointed or heartbroken. Adrien hasn't done anything wrong, really. He can't control his heart, just like she can't control her heart for falling for him. Still, it hurt just as much it did the first time. Only, she was a fool for letting him get close to her. For allowing him to find a way to fit into her daily life. This contract was all there was in their relationship. Business.

To be honest, she sort of knew that'll be his answer but asked anyway in hopes of a different answer. The only thing that a witch like her can do is draw out the time they have together before handing over the love potion. She'll be happy if she can occupy even a little part of his memory in the end.

Thinking about it, why did she try so hard all this time for him? It just made their separation later much harder on her. It’s not like anything could work between them.

Before she could respond to that question, a low rumble could be heard. It sounded like a thunderstorm in the distance, but there was no cloud in the sky. They look at each other, confused.

"What was that?" He asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it." She worried.

Another tremor happened, now a bit closer. Each time it grew louder and a bit stronger. Birds started shrieking and flying from the treetops. The green canopy could be seen swaying ominously in the distance.

They stood up, nervous. Something big was heading towards them.

Chat Noir drew out the rapier that he always carried and stood closer to Marinette, while she scanned for an escape route. In front of them was the forest with impending threat and behind them was a cliff they climbed up. It was a steep drop below if they jumped. Therefore, there was nowhere to run or hide. They will have to stand up against whatever was coming.

For several tense moments, they waited. And waited. Until the culprit making the huge racket emerged from the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author Note** :
> 
> Keep Calm Everyone! There is a Happy Ending to this story. I’m not that evil :)


	15. Rose are Red and Violets are Blue (2)

With a resounding crash and groan from the trees, a troll appeared. It was green, ugly, and reek of rotten eggs. It also loomed over seven feet and towered over Adrien and Marinette's heads.

At first, the troll didn’t notice them. Rather it was preoccupied with the bees swirling around its head, thrashing violently in both terror and anger. Trolls weren’t exactly smart, so it must have messed with the bees' nest.

When the troll did register Adrien and her presences, it regarded them dumbly then at the weapon in Chat Noir's hand.

"Hey, calm down buddy," he cautioned the troll.

Still anxious, Marinette extended her hand out and seized his sleeve to stop him.

"Um… I don’t think you should get any closer." 

“Wha-” Chat Noir turned to her—

—the next moment, the two of them were rolling on the ground, just narrowly avoided being crushed under the troll’s large feet.

Everything spun around for a bit. When it stopped, the masked knight was gazing up disoriented on his back. Marinette landed on top of him. Her body went numb from shock, but fear grounded her. The moment she pulled away from him, Chat Noir grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from the troll that had started chasing them.

"Don’t you know how dangerous that was!?" He angrily shouted. "Why would you throw yourself at me?!"

"Because some dumb cat nearly got squashed!" She argued back, fully recovered from their near-death experience.

Chat Noir looked ready to rebut but tugged her behind him instead. With expert movement, he deflected a blow from the troll. 

The troll yowled in pain where Chat Noir sliced. However, the sword was light and delicate and not meant to handle heavy attacks. More for swiftly disarming foes than defeating large monsters. 

Using the other arm, the monster raised it high above their heads. Marinette didn't think Adrien saw the incoming attack. Everything was chaotic. Every second precious. Second-guessing was not an option, not when you are in a life-threatening situation.

Without thought or care, she shoved him out of harm’s way again. However, this time she couldn't completely avoid a hit. She took the blow from the troll, which is much better than being pulled but not any less painful. The wind nearly knocked out of her chest. She was tossed like a ragged doll in the air, landing quite a distance away.

"Marinette!!!" He screamed.

She dipped in and out of consciousness. It was really a nasty hit to her head. The last she saw was Chat Noir charging at the troll, bellowing out a battle cry.

“You'll pay for that!”

After that, Marinette's mind blanked out.

\----------

When Adrien saw Marinette hurt, he threw all his weight into the fight. Having something on the line made it end quickly. The troll collapsed with a thunderclap, leaving dust spewing everywhere from the impact. A calm stillness settled the battlefield when it cleared.

Adrien immediately dropped his rapier and rushed to check on the witch. Thankfully, she was just unconscious. 

He let out a sigh of relief. She must have heard him because the next moment she stirred awake.

Marinette’s eyes slowly open. With a groan, she propped herself up. 

“I feel like a ton of bricks ram into me,” she grumbled and clutched her forehead. There was grim on her face where the mud had smeared.

"I mean, you aren't wrong," Adrien softly spoke, helping her up. His grip around her shoulder tightened for a second before reluctantly releasing.

Marinette's eyes squinted at him. The way he lingered didn’t escape her notice. 

"It wasn’t your fault," she pointedly said and emphasized the fact clearly. “I would tackle you again and as many times as I need to if it is to save you. You were close to being squashed.”

“Even so, that was really reckless...” Not many people would throw themselves at a monster.

Marinette flushed in embarrassment thinking the same thing.

“I'm Ladybug,” she reminded him. “The witch affiliated with luck and love. I’m much more resilient than that.”

He opened his mouth then closed it, not wanting to argue. 

_ I don’t know how to act around you. _

Adrien resigned in defeat, but a small smile broke through.

It was just like Marinette to be so perceptive and see his guilt, and want him not to worry or feel troubled. Today really frightened him. Seeing Marinette tossed like some child’s plaything had rocked him to the core, especially when she didn’t get up afterward. She had remained immobile, almost dead-like.

Adrien shook his head to get rid of the mental image and started focusing on the important stuff. Inspecting her injuries. 

"Looks like you hit yourself pretty hard if you're starting to say weird things," he teased to hide his worries. "You've got a bump forming here."

Marinette winced in pain when he touched a sensitive spot.

“Ah, sorry,” he withdrew his hand then got up to search for their bags. “Where do you keep your flask? All my water ran out." 

“In the right pocket,” she responded with a curious tilt.

He soon came back with their things, a handkerchief and a flask in hand too. 

_ It’ll have to do for now.  _ He nodded to himself.

Grabbing the handkerchief, he poured water from her metal flask on it. The thin fabric instantly soaked in the liquid and became cool to the touch. Marinette, who had curiously watched him work, connected the dots.

"You don't have to do this. Honestly, I'm fine," she protested.

Adrien kneeled and held the cloth near her forehead. This time, he asked for permission.

"May I?"

A blush dusted her cheeks. Despite her earlier words, she put up very little resistance and bobbed her head.

Adrien gently swept her dark fringe aside so he can place the wet handkerchief against the swollen lump. Her reaction was immediate. Her eyes shut and her whole body relaxed into the cold compress. 

In some ways, it was strangely intimate.

A calmness settled around them.

"Why are you always so nice to me?" Marinette suddenly asked. Her brilliant blue eyes open again.

His heart stuttered for a bit. He stopped dapping the cloth. Somehow, without their notice, they both leaned close to each other's faces. Almost nose to nose. 

"What do you mean? I've always been a nice person." He lightly joked, plastering on a toothy grin. "I'm offended you even ask."

Seeing her roll her eyes, he decided to answer truthfully.

“Because I care about you,” he replied. A serious expression etched on his face that he hoped to communicate his genuineness.

When did he start liking her more than a friend? When did her pain become his pain? Without realizing it, he started to get used to being around Marinette. Without realizing it, he started missing her. Without realizing it, his heart beats irregularly when he is with Ladybug. Adrien wanted to see her every day. He wanted to talk to her every day. Every day seems so much fun.

She sucked in a sharp breath and pulled away. 

His stomach twisted.

Was that the wrong thing to say?

“Sorry,” Marinette murmured and fixed her gaze on her hands in her lap. They fidget, lacing and uncurling together repeatedly.

“Huh?” 

“I asked a strange question,” she tried brushing the comment off. It only confused him more. There's no reason to get so worked up. Something was bothering her. But Adrien held back from asking what and why because he can tell she didn't want the topic to be pursued anymore, so he let her have her way and pretend to be ignorant. 

"It's okay," Chat Noir forced a smile.

The more you push, the less they will talk later.

Marinette smiled gratefully; although, she couldn't fully hide the sadness in her eyes from him. It hurt that she didn’t trust him.

"We should sort out the payment soon. The potion will be ready in a few days." Her words were crisp and clear, leaving little room for compromise.

Adrien wanted to say something to her, but it wasn’t the right moment. What he had to say is not something that can be told within a few words and brush off in such a short time. So, he promised himself to tell her later.


	16. I Put A Spell on You

> Mince until fragrant. 
> 
> Add the spices. 
> 
> Bring the blend to a boil
> 
> Stir until evenly mixed. 
> 
> Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid for half a day.

Marinette marked each step off with an affirmative hummed. The last major ingredients to be mixed into the cauldron were the jasmine leaves, lotus flower roots, and the red petals from the rose. She grabbed some from the counter and tossed them in, watching the color instantly change into a familiar glowing pink hue.

Tikki, who sat on her right shoulder, ogled at the pink concoction in the pot while Plagg remained nowhere to be seen. Honestly, Marinette should pay more attention to the black fairy's whereabouts given his mischievous past but couldn’t spare any energy to care.

"Is it done?" Tikki innocently chimed, teetering her body side to side like a seesaw.

"Almost," Marinette answered without glancing back. A yawn escaped from the witch. “We have to let it sit a bit again.”

A few seconds later, her mind drifted but a quick shake of the head and slap from Tikki got rid of the sleep. She blinked away the crust in her eyes and squinted. It's potions like these that she hates the most. They need constant observation, but Marinette had long decided to help Adrien. The love potion was important to him. If she could make him happy, it wouldn't matter that she loses a bit of sleep… or if he'd never like her back. 

**Lub-dub.**

Or at least that is what she kept telling herself. 

Marinette’s brows crease together into a frown.

There was that feeling again; the constriction and pain in her chest that made it hard to breathe. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" The fairy asked.

Marinette flinched, wide awake now. The surprise quickly wore off and was replaced with panic. 

"Psssh. Me?" The witch nervously laughed and gestured at the air. “About what? There is nothing to talk about. What is there to talk about?"

"I’m only asking," Tikki giggled behind close hands. "But I always find talking about your problem, even if just out loud and to yourself, helps."

Marinette relaxed at the fairy's words, feeling a little silly for overacting.

Right, sometimes she forgets that Tikki is much older than her. Although child-like with their curious and playful nature, there was some wisdom and experience emanating from the fairy that reminded Marinette a bit of her late grand-mère. It would be nice to have someone to confide her troubles with. It would be nice to feel cared for again. 

Without realizing it, Marinette began talking to Tikki like it was the most natural thing to do.

"I was just thinking..."

"Thinking about what, Marinette?" Tikki's eyes were kind and patient.

"I was thinking that love is funny." She shifted, uneasy. 

At this, the fairy tilted her head in response.

Marinette smiled, finding Tikki's confusion adorable. She probably should start at the beginning. 

"I've been making love potions for years, but I realized that I don't actually know much about love. It's ironic," Marinette softly admitted. "Ah! But I'm not totally ignorant of it. I know there are different types. I know that love is never clear and often messy, but when done right it brings two people together in the most beautiful ways."

Those types of requests were few and far, but Marinette was happy when they ended well. Unfortunately, they often don't outweigh all the bad.

"I just don't understand why people are willing to go so far for love,” she reached to the point of their conversation. “To a point that they would use deceitful ways.”

_ Like a love potion.  _

Marinette didn’t say the last part out loud, but it was implied. She was speaking through her own experiences. 

“If they really care, they wouldn’t resort to these types of undermining methods even if it's just to get their attention.” 

“Hm… I cannot say I understand humans well,” the fairy remarked. “Some act selfish and unreasonable. But if they are all bad, aren't you working a bit too hard making this love potion for Chat Noir?”

It is kind of dumb of her, right? Yes, even Tikki agrees, but here she is working hard for a guy who likes someone else. It was probably easier to hate him, but she cannot even bring herself to despise him. Their friendship was more important than any potential heartbreak because love makes people do unreasonable things—do something that doesn’t make any sense. In a way, isn't it like magic?

Marinette looked down at the cauldron and watched the pink liquid swirl inside.

“He might be just using me," she acknowledged. "Maybe he doesn't think anything of me, but I want to believe that's not the case. He's too nice for his own good.”

Marinette turned her gaze back to Tikki.

“I guess what I am saying is I just can't leave things in the middle. I got to finish my job. I still want to help him,” she finally said, feeling a lot better after their conversation. Work was supposedly the best remedy if you want to shut out something like heartache, right? Isn’t that what she has been doing all these days?

_ Let's nip it in the bud before it's too late. Before my feelings become deeper. _

She lied and said goodbye to her first love.

At the same time, Tikki spotted her counterpart and flew to him.

"Psst, Plagg, should we tell her?" The fairy waved.

He glanced up from his lounge and pondered for a moment.

"Nahhh…" Plagg replied and resumed bathing under a patch of sunlight. He had heard their conversation and didn't want any involvement.

"Are you seriously that upset over getting Limburger instead of Brie cheese?" 

"...Yes."

Tikki sighed, "Anyways, I think that we should tell her that she at least has a chance! Because the guy does like her. It's obvious— I don’t know how she doesn’t know it yet."

Plagg reached out and patted Tikki's head as if to console her.

"She's just stupid," he simply told his friend.

"That's why we should tell her," the fairy huffed underneath his hand.

"Nah," he declined again and released her head. "I like watching them being stupid."

"...I do too," Tikki admitted, seeing his point.

"It’s funny, right?!" He grinned.

With her focus on the potion once more, Marinette did not hear any of the whispers behind her.

\----------

Later that same day, Adrien, dressed in his usual Chat Noir's disguise, arrived at her home. 

"Uh. Umm. Hello," Marinette clumsily greeted him and he greeted her back just as stiffly. 

"Y-yeah... long time no see," he gave a tiny wave and shuffled inside her small kitchen. For a moment, his eyes stared at her as if he wanted to say something more…

They both avert their gaze in the end.

An awkward silence sat over their head. 

It bothered her. Conversations used to flow so easily between them, but it wasn't hard to figure out the cause. Lately, she has been distancing herself from Adrien. Maybe not intentionally at first, but little by little the distance grew. There was no doubt that he noticed. It didn't help the situation when he got even busier at the castle. The unfortunate drawback was that Adrien had few opportunities to visit her. Well, it is not like they are exactly speaking to each other. In fact, they've been silent since the troll incident. Would this normally count as friends fighting? She really cannot understand why though.

Marinette played with the hem of her red cloak, trying to think of a way to bring things back to what they were used to. Lightheartedness.

She took in a deep breath.

“So,” Marinette said, perfectly neutral that it could even fool herself.

"So...?" He echoed back, looking back at her.

"You are awfully rude." She placed her hands on her hips.

"What?" He stumbled backward, confused.

"Don't I get a thank you?" She dramatically sighed, the way she had learned from witnessing him acting silly or whenever he felt ridiculous. "I did, after all, work hard on this potion of yours." 

On cue, she brought out the pink vial and held it with a proud smile.

"You completed it." Chat Noir gawked, sounding almost surprised.

Marinette frowned and flicked his nose.

"Of course, I did!" She proclaimed. 

He chuckled a little at her declaration and rubbed the area she had flicked with her fingers.

"Now what's the magic word?" She asked in a frivolous manner.

He laughed out loud this time.

"Thank you, oh amazing witch who is smart, kind, and beautiful," Chat Noir praised.

"That's more like it!" Marinette applauded. "You brought the money I asked, right?"

"I did," he confirmed and showed her the large money pouch. They countered each coin to make sure the cost was accurately covered.

"Great!" She nodded satisfied and went right to work on explaining the logistics of the potion. "The intended target needs to be ingested with the body fluid of the user—or to be more precise, the potion needs to be mixed with it for the effect to work. It’s common to put the potion in a glass that you’ve previously drunk from and let the target drink it. Once they fall under its magic, all common sense and logic are out of the door. They will only think of you and only you, regardless of their love for their partner. More than their crush, their marriage partner for many years, their blood siblings, or even their own children."

"I see," he followed along.

"Remember, it lasts for a day," she cautioned him.

_So whatever plan you have to win the person you cherish over or to keep them bound to you has to be good_ _because their memories under the love potion will forever be etched in their heart and body even after the effects wear off._

She bid him with a small smile and good luck.

_ And make sure you don't regret it! _

Marinette hopelessly stood and stared at him, capturing every aspect of him in her memory at that moment. From his golden hair to his green eyes and smile. This concludes their business together. Their last meeting.

_ I feel happy for him. That's enough for me.  _

That's what she keeps saying. But.

She hesitated to pass him the pink glowing vial.

"What’s wrong?" He asked, his hand outstretched and empty.

"It's nothing." Marinette knew she was being greedy. She already made a very selfish decision by bottling up her feelings. This wasn't the time to be second-guessing things.

Adrien looked at her face as if to see what was in her heart.

Marinette didn't want to meet his eyes at that moment, so she lowered her head.

If heartbreak hurt the first time, then the pain was unbearable the second and third time. Truthfully, she didn't want him to leave.

"Marinette, are you really okay?"

She looked up from staring at the ground, startled to find he was much closer than before.

Chat Noir touched her cheeks, looking into her eyes in concern. He used his thumb to wipe away the droplets. 

She was surprised by her own tears and quickly wiped them away, but more kept falling.

"I don't know why," the vigorous rubbing of her eyes became more desperate as she continued to cry. "I'm sorry, I can't make it stop, but I am really fine!"

His gaze softened at her struggle. She couldn't quite understand what emotion was on his face because of her tears.

Adrien hesitated before deciding to reach out and tug her into a hug at the last minute. She obeyed and fell into his arms, too tired to refute anything. His arms tightly wrapped around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. 

“Stay here until you are done crying.” His voice was gentle, matching the softness she saw in his eyes.

A deep loss wrapped around her throat like she had lost everything. Small sniffles were the only sounds for some time as Marinette tried to regain her composure. Her complexion was a mess from crying and her eyes were puffy. Dried tear tracks clung to her cheeks. 

That’s when Marinette began thinking it was a mistake to have helped him and to have spent so much time with him. It made the departure more painful than if she had treated him as any normal customer. It was wrong of her to wish their time to last forever.

"Honestly, I’m not sure what to do," he said in a hushed voice, puncturing the silence and filling it in between her sniffles with words. "I know you’re upset so I’m trying to be comforting, but you won't tell me what's bothering you."

Adrien buried his face against the crook of her neck.

"And I’m frustrated," he murmured. "Because if I don’t leave pretty soon I run the risk of being found out, but the idea of leaving right now is just crazy. It will be easier if you confide in me.”

She could never tell him the truth. It'll just make him feel guilty and their goodbye even more awkward.

“Don’t you trust me?" He caressed the back of her head before slowly pulling away.

"You better go then," she mumbled back, sidestepping the question. Her throat was raw and dry. She could not afford to look at Adrien’s sad face.

Instead of taking her advice, he began telling her a story.

"There is this girl…"

Marinette tensed, but otherwise remained quiet and listened to him.

"She will be marrying off soon to a prince who is twice her age and previously married. While it may not be unusual in the long history of royalty to arrange marriage out of greed, politics, or diplomatic reasons, I’m personally against it."

"Is this girl Crowned Princess Chloé Bourgeois?" She guessed based on the trails of clues.

He nodded and smiled, "She’s my childhood friend."

At his confirmation, Marinette wilted a little more inside. She now understood who Adrien's special person is.

"People know Princess Chloé for being spoiled, narcissistic, and cruel when we were young, but she is actually quite honest and just bad at handling insecurities," Chat Noir continued while reminiscing about the past. "Eventually, she grew out of her childish tantrum and became a mature and fair lady. For destiny to deliver such a miserable fate as her reward at the end of all her efforts and growth seemed unfair. With all my heart, I wished my friend to have a marriage happier than anyone else’s like those you hear in fairy tales."

He kept going on.

"But instead the princess is marrying into a loveless marriage, out of duty and for her kingdom. She has to let go of her life and dreams for the sake of the people. That is simply the price of being a royal. I understand, but it's still unfair."

Chat Noir started fiddling with a loose strand of her hair and twirling it like he was deliberating over something important.

"Then one day, she asked me for help and mentioned you," he looked up from her braids.

"I never met her, but yes, she often requests potions from me through her people," she paused. "Wait! Is the Princess the one requesting the love potion?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "The love potion is so that she could at least consummate the marriage with the Prince and bear an heir." 

Marinette blinked. Once. Twice. 

_ Ehh?!!!  _ Her mind recoiled in disbelief.

Marinette then slumped her body forward, utterly drained. Clearly, she was exhausted and needed a vacation. She can already feel a growing headache and gently knead at it.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir didn't notice her small mental breakdown or the shift of emotions filtering across her face. He seemed to not notice anything off at all, too absorbed with his own thoughts because the next moment he was leaning into her face. 

The bangs of his blond hair tickled her forehead. His green eyes flickered with uncertainty. It brought her focus back to him.

_ Huh? _ At that moment, Marinette's heart skipped and her stomach churned.

He hadn't finished talking.

"I don't want to make the same mistake as the Princess did," he whispered. "I don't want to live with regrets. Call me selfish, but I can't make myself walk away from you."

She inhaled sharply. 

"I've decided to live life the way that I wanted.”

"The way you wanted?" Marinette repeated, trying to understand but can't. She stared at him with a perplexed look. "What about your reputation?"

"Who cares?" He said, tiredly. "Because I don't. I haven't for a while. If someone sees me here, my father wouldn’t really care. My family situation had no bearing on me. Félix is taking over as head. And after becoming a knight, I’ve distanced myself from social circles. Really, it all worked out for my benefit."

Adrien’s cheeks were dark and bright, yet he persevered, “What I am really saying is I love... you."

“Y-y-you love me?” Marinette squeaked and choked, her mind not quite grasping those words.

His gaze locked with Marinette’s, watching her. It’s a face full of compassion, deep with affection, even though there shouldn’t have been one there.

"W-what? That cannot be true." She blabbered, incredulously. Her thoughts were racing to the point where she just couldn't think straight.

“You don’t have to say it that way,” Adrien pouted, thinking her words were a form of rejection. He ran an anxious hand through his hair, which was a nervous tic of his. “Is it really hard to believe? Well, I guess I never loved someone this much before.” 

His dejected expression was almost too much for her to handle. She couldn’t breathe. 

He noticed that and began to worry.

"Marinette—?!"

She crossed the gap between them and impulsively kissed him, cutting off whatever words he had planned to say. It was hard. It was unforgiving. Every longing moment and every loving thought she’d ever had about him poured through into their kiss, not wanting to extend their misunderstanding any longer.

She pulled back, shyly at the end of it. Embarrassed first then alarmed. 

“Ah! Sorry— that—was that ok—?”

But she couldn’t finish her sentence. Not with his lips on hers. 

Her eyes fluttered closed. A sense of joy spread in her chest. 

The kiss was so sweet, so soft, so gentle—almost like he was afraid she’d disappear as if to think all of this was a dream. Just the slightest of pressure against her lips was enough to turn her whole body into mush and make her heart soar.

They eventually pulled back and held each other inches from their face. A smile stretched on both their lips. Both sharing a blush.

“Can I take it that our feelings are mutual?” He could help being cheeky, even though the question was a little late asking.

Marinette didn’t answer, at least not with words. She cupped his cheek and pulled him in for a third kiss. 

"That should answer, Chat." She said, brushing his hair aside.

He gazed at her in awe. 

"Adrien," he beamed at her, dopey and silly. "You can just call me Adrien."

Seconds later, Tikki flew out from a flower pot with a celebratory cheer while Plagg wormed his way out from his hiding place with an annoyed look.

“Blech, you two are gross. I’m glad this is all over," the black fairy proclaimed. Nevertheless, an unmistakable smile was on his face. Happy for the dumb couple.

The small humble cabin in the deep forest was noisy and full of life again. When not too long ago, it had been occupied by a lonely witch. Now, a kind (retired) knight and two mischievous fairies live there. Or so the rumors goes.

**❤️**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grand-mère (shorten form is Mamie or Mémé) = Grandmother
> 
> **Author Note** :
> 
> Thank you all for reading and sticking around!
> 
> This chapter is a lot longer than the rest, but I didn't want to disrupt the flow. It also took a lot of revisions.
> 
> The last chapter is the Epilogue. It'll take me some time to write up because I want to be satisfied with it, but I hope you’ll come back.


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